The crashed small plane in Lake Constance.
dho./kca.
A plane crashed into Lake Constance near the town of Staad on Thursday. As the St. Gallen canton police announced in the afternoon, the pilot had reported technical problems after taking off from Altenrhein Airport. The crash happened after the pilot had been given permission to return to the airport and land.
The emergency services deployed in large numbers – the police, paramedics, the fire brigade, Rega and sea rescue were on site – were able to rescue the pilot from the wreck late Thursday afternoon. He died in the crash, the police wrote in a statement. The pilot is a 72-year-old Swiss. According to current knowledge, there is no evidence of other passengers.
To the «St. Gallen daily newspaper» Hanspeter Krüsi, head of communications at the St. Gallen canton police, explained that several passers-by had raised the alarm with the police after the crash. The crash site of the heavily damaged machine is in knee-deep water, about 50 meters from the shore.
According to Krüsi, as is usual with aircraft accidents, the investigation is being conducted under the direction of the federal prosecutor’s office. Officials from the Federal Police (Fedpol) and the investigation into the cause of the accident SUST (Swiss Safety Investigation Board) are also on site. If possible, the aircraft will be recovered on Thursday evening.
