Investigation report available Aircraft crash over Ballwil LU - emergency landings
In January, two aircraft crashed near Ballwil LU. It is now clear how the collision occurred.
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- Sust investigated the collision of two aircraft over Ballwil LU in January.
- A badly damaged aircraft had to make an emergency landing due to an engine failure after it collided with another aircraft.
- Sust found that the pilots did not take sufficient account of the risks of position changes when taking photographs.
An investigation by the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (Sust) examined the collision between two aircraft over Ballwil LU on 21 January 2024. A severely damaged aircraft had to make an emergency landing due to engine failure after colliding with another aircraft.
The two pilots knew each other well, but had lost visual contact and entered into a risky proximity between the planes in order to take photographs, according to the report. "Zentralplus" reported first.
The pilot of the Piper PA-28R "Arrow" lost sight of his front man at some point. However, there was no radio warning, according to the report. At some point, the collision with the "Speed Canard" could no longer be avoided.
No emergency measures discussed
Despite the accident, the pilot of the Piper flying behind, which hit the "Speed Canard" on the tail, was able to control his aircraft in gliding flight and land safely on a meadow near the Emmen military airfield. The other aircraft was also able to land successfully as the engine remained functional. Fortunately, there were no injuries in either emergency landing.
Sust found that the pilots had not sufficiently considered the risks of position changes when taking photographs and had not discussed emergency measures in advance. Technical defects and poor weather conditions were ruled out as causes of the accidents.