Parachutists jump off Swiss plane just before fatal crash
The pilot was killed in the crash but the 11 parachutists on board were able to jump out in time and land safely.
This content was published on
2 minutes
The plane crashed in a field near Grenchen in canton Solothurn shortly after 2pm on Sunday.
The fate of the pilot was initially unknown. His death was confirmed in the evening. The plane that crashed belongs to the Skydive parachute school in Grenchen, the school’s director told the press agency Keystone-SDA.
The reasons for the crash are being investigated by the police and the relevant authorities. Several patrols of the Solothurn cantonal police, the Grenchen fire brigade and the Swiss Transport Safety Investigation Board are involved.
Images from the scene show the wreckage of the aircraft. According to a witness quoted by the online media 20 Minuten, which first reported the accident, the aircraft fell vertically to the ground.
Grenchen is one of Switzerland’s major regional aerodromes. According to the operator, it handles some 60,000 flight movements a year.
Translated from French by DeepL/ac
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
Swiss reject plans for bigger motorways and extra rights for landlords
Over-55s account for less than 10% of new hires in Switzerland
This content was published on
Only 8% of Swiss jobs are filled by people aged 55 and over, even though this age group represents 23% of the working population, says insurer Swiss Life.
This content was published on
The Langmatt Museum in Baden, Switzerland, has agreed terms with the descendants of the former owners of two impressionist paintings
Artificial intelligence is part of everyday life for young Swiss people
This content was published on
Artificial intelligence has rapidly become part of young people's everyday lives. According to a survey, 71% have had experience with ChatGPT or other programs.
Jungfrau Railways invests CHF70 million in new cable cars
This content was published on
The Jungfrau Railway Group is ordering CHF70 million cableway installations for the First and Kleine Scheidegg ski areas.
This content was published on
A bronze coin from the 3rd century BC has been discovered during excavations in the Roman town of Augusta Raurica - the first find of its kind in Switzerland
This content was published on
The canton of Zurich and Swiss Federal Railways want to test self-driving public transport in rural areas from spring 2025.
Swiss study shows increased suicide risk of ‘traditional’ men
This content was published on
Men with an attachment to traditional male role models have an increased risk of suicide, although not all men are equally at risk, according to researchers at the University of Zurich.
Swiss rail expansion bill nearly doubles as extra costs mount up
This content was published on
The expansion of the rail infrastructure up to 2035 will be significantly more expensive than previously planned. In addition to the CHF16.4 billion already approved by Parliament, a further CHF14 billion will be required.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.