Swiss authorities have ordered the temporary grounding of two Junkers Ju-52 vintage airplanes operated by the Ju-Air company based near Zurich. Structural damage was discovered in the Ju-52 aircraft that crashed in Switzerland in August, killing all 20 onboard.
In a statement on TuesdayExternal link, the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (OFAC/BAZL) said an investigation by the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSIB) of the wreckage of the fatal Ju-52 accident had revealed pre-existing structural damage to the aircraft’s main wing spar and to other parts of the plane, in the form of cracks and corrosion.
It had not been possible to detect such damage during regular maintenance and inspections, OFAC said. But it insisted that there was presently no link between the damage found and the air accident in Switzerland on August 4.
“There were no indications through the date of publication of this interim report that pre-existing technical defects would have caused the accident,” the STSIB said.
On August 4, a 79-year-old Ju-52 operated by Ju-AirExternal link, flying from Locarno in canton Ticino to Dübendorf in canton Zurich, crashed at altitude in canton Graubünden in eastern Switzerland killing all 20 people on board – three Austrians and 17 Swiss.
Following the fatal accident, no technical defects were identified on the three-engine plane. And on August 17, the Swiss aviation authority gave Ju-Air the green light to resume flights using its two remaining Ju-52 planes but insisted that several precautionary measures should be taken.
Despite not declaring any direct cause for the fatal crash, investigators have found structural damage and therefore are taking no chances.
“As the two Junkers Ju-52s are more or less the same age as the aircraft that crashed and have flown for a similar number of hours, it must be ensured that they don’t have the same structural damage,” OFAC said.
The STSIB is not expected to complete its full investigation into the plane crash before the middle of 2019.
More
More
Vintage Ju-52 aircraft crashes in Swiss Alps: 20 dead
This content was published on
The vintage plane crashed at altitude in canton Graubünden. Police confirmed the deaths of all 20 passengers after a salvage operation on Sunday.
This content was published on
Malfunctions led to a worldwide outage of the social media platform X several times on Monday, affecting users in Switzerland and elsewhere.
This content was published on
The Swiss bank UBS was fined €75,000 (CHF71,410), the maximum penalty, in Paris on Monday for moral harassment by its French subsidiary of two whistleblowers.
Nearly 50 wolves killed in eastern Switzerland over five-month period
This content was published on
Wildlife wardens in the eastern canton of Graubünden, together with hunters, shot 48 wolves between September 2024 and January 2025, authorities said on Monday.
Top Swiss court approves appeal against asbestos ruling
This content was published on
The Glarus high court must re-examine an asbestos case, after the Federal Court approved the request for a revision of its decision by the family of Marcel Jann.
Swiss singer Zoë Më unveils song ‘Voyage’ for 2025 Eurovision contest
This content was published on
Singer-songwriter Zoë Më, who will represent Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, unveiled her ballad Voyage on Monday.
Switzerland’s image at stake in current multilateralism crisis, says Geneva politician
This content was published on
The Swiss government's reaction to the current crisis in multilateralism is not congruent with what is at stake for International Geneva, says the head of the Geneva Government.
This content was published on
At the stroke of 4am on Monday, the street lights went out in Basel's city center for the carnival kick-off, known as Morgenstreich.
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.
Read more
More
Swiss vintage planes resume flights after crash
This content was published on
A local Swiss airline that operates vintage Junkers Ju-52 planes resumed operations on Friday after a fatal crash two weeks ago.
Vintage Ju-52 aircraft crashes in Swiss Alps: 20 dead
This content was published on
The vintage plane crashed at altitude in canton Graubünden. Police confirmed the deaths of all 20 passengers after a salvage operation on Sunday.
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.