This morning, a Pilatus PC-7 went missing. It was on a flight from Payerne to Locarno; the route was chosen at the discretion of the pilot. Helicopters with FLIR cameras are joining the search. At this moment, it's still unclear whether it crashed or if it landed somewhere. Seemingly, the pilot did not file a flight plan; he was simply expected to arrive in Locarno at a certain time.
Bad visibility and the uncertainty of the pilot's route are hampering the search effort.
In half an hour, the army will inform the press about any recent developments.
PC-7 at the Sion/Sitten air base in 2002
David
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- flyingturtle
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Re: Swiss Air Force PC-7 missing
The press conference is already running.
1. According to radar data, the plane went missing near the Schreckhorn.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schreckhorn
The great circle distance between Payerne and Locarno is 97 nm, but it would lead over Italian territory. When using Swiss territory, the Schreckhorn lies on the shortest path: Payerne - Berne - Interlaken - Grindelwald - Schreckhorn - Grimsel pass - Valle Maggia - Locarno.
2. The Air Force confirmed that the flight was VFR.
3. Visual conditions near Grindelwald (where the Schreckhorn is) were sufficient for a VFR flight.
David
1. According to radar data, the plane went missing near the Schreckhorn.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schreckhorn
The great circle distance between Payerne and Locarno is 97 nm, but it would lead over Italian territory. When using Swiss territory, the Schreckhorn lies on the shortest path: Payerne - Berne - Interlaken - Grindelwald - Schreckhorn - Grimsel pass - Valle Maggia - Locarno.
2. The Air Force confirmed that the flight was VFR.
3. Visual conditions near Grindelwald (where the Schreckhorn is) were sufficient for a VFR flight.
David
Re: Swiss Air Force PC-7 missing
flyingturtle wrote:2. The Air Force confirmed that the flight was VFR.
3. Visual conditions near Grindelwald (where the Schreckhorn is) were sufficient for a VFR flight.
It was? I overflew the alps this morning, and it certainly didn't look like VFR weather. Solid layer of cloud covering all the mountains, and all airports reported relatively low clouds on the ATIS.
Re: Swiss Air Force PC-7 missing
Did they find the unlucky pilot yet or the plane?
Re: Swiss Air Force PC-7 missing
40 PC-7 delivered and 27 in service according to Wikipedia, quite a fleet for such a small country.
Hope they find the pilot in good health.
Hope they find the pilot in good health.
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- flyingturtle
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Re: Swiss Air Force PC-7 missing
Dutchy wrote:Did they find the unlucky pilot yet or the plane?
Yes, both the debris and the pilot's body have now been found - in the vicinity of the Schreckhorn.
At the day of the accident, the Upper Grindelwald Glacier (just a location near the Schreckhorn) had temperatures of -7 to +2 degrees Celsius, a relative humidity of 75%, 5 mm of precipitation and zero sun - all based on the archive of meteoblue.com. Bad visibility may very well be a factor. The pilot was also an "experienced" militia pilot.
It is disturbing that the Swiss Air Force has lost so many aircraft in the past few years.
September 2016: A Super Puma crashes, both pilots die.
August 2016: A F-18 crashes, the pilot was given the correct altitude for the wrong departure, but he seemingly didn't double-check using his charts.
June 2016: A F-5 crashes in The Netherlands, the pilot could eject safely.
October 2015: A F-18 crashes in France; the pilot mishandled the engine stall. Ejection, but injuries.
October 2013: A F-18 crashes, low-level turn in low visibility, plane crashes into a mountain. Two dead.
March 2011: A Super Puma crashes, two crewmembers injured.
Then, from 2010 til 2002 nothing happens. But from 2001 to 1991, 12 aircraft and helicopter accidents...
David