A serious plane crash in eastern Austria has killed two people and left two others in hospital with serious injuries. A four-seater light plane crashed in a remote mountain forest in the province of Lower Austria on Sunday. Thanks to the quick intervention of an eyewitness and a large-scale rescue operation, two of the victims were pulled alive from the completely destroyed machine.
Chronology of the incident and victims
The single-engine aircraft The Piper PA-28 took off from Seitenstätten Airport, located about 40 kilometers from the scene of the accident. Shortly before noon, the machine lost altitude and fell into a densely forested and rocky area in the municipality of Gaming, near Mount Yocher (nearly 1900 meters above sea level).
- Dead: The 47-year-old pilot and a woman of the same age died at the scene.
- Survivors: A 15-year-old girl and a 41-year-old man were rescued from the wreckage with serious injuries. They were pulled from the rocky terrain with ropes and transported by helicopter to an ambulance.
A dramatic rescue operation against the clock
A local firefighter witnessed the plane crash and immediately called 911, then went to the scene himself in an attempt to help.
However, the terrain proved to be extremely harsh and the teams faced enormous challenges:
- Lack of coverage: There was no mobile network coverage in the area of the disaster, forcing rescuers to communicate only via radio stations.
- Heavy equipment on hand: More than 90 firefighters, mountain rescuers and police made their way through the dense forest. They used chainsaws to cut through fallen trees and dense vegetation.
- Improvised bridge: A temporary bridge had to be urgently built over a mountain stream to allow heavy rescue equipment to be transported to the wreckage of the plane.
Investigation into the causes of the crash
The area of the incident remains cordoned off by law enforcement. Experts from the State Aviation Accident Investigation Service and forensic experts are already working at the scene to determine the exact cause of the tragedy.
According to initial unofficial eyewitness accounts, an unusual noise was heard from the engine before the crash, which points to a technical malfunction. The prosecutor's office has already ordered an autopsy on the pilot, which is standard procedure in such incidents. The remains of the plane are expected to be pulled from the mountainside by a specialized helicopter.