SWISS crew member dies in Graz after emergency landing

Bucharest-Zurich flight: a Swiss crew member dies Keystone-SDA

A week after the emergency landing of a Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) plane in Austria, a crew member died on Monday in hospital in Graz. The local public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation.

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The young man was a member of the cabin crew of the SWISS flight LX1885, which was en route from Bucharest to Zurich on December 23 when it was forced to make an emergency landing in Graz due to smoke in the cockpit and cabin.

The man had since been in intensive care at University Hospital Graz.

In a statement on Monday evening, SWISS CEO Jens Fehlinger and COO Oliver Buchhofer said it was a “dark day”. Citing respect for the deceased’s next of kin, they did not give further information about the cause of death or the victim.

A second crew member who was taken to the same hospital after the incident has since been discharged.

Some 74 passengers and five crew members were on board. After the successful emergency landing, passengers left the aircraft using evacuation slides. Twelve passengers and all crew members received medical treatment, according to SWISS.

+ Read more: SWISS grounds three A320s due to engine issues

Negligent bodily harm

A spokesman for the Graz public prosecutor’s office said the aim was to clarify the cause of the accident – i.e. why so much smoke entered the cockpit and cabin that the flight had to be aborted. The investigation is currently focusing on negligent bodily harm, the spokesman added.

According to initial findings, a technical fault in one of the engines was the likely source of the problem, SWISS said. However, no information has yet been released on the specific cause. The aircraft and engine manufacturers have both been informed, according to the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA).

Airbus A220 models have experienced engine issues on several occasions in the past. SWISS has also been affected. The subsidiary of Lufthansa has 30 A220s in its fleet, including 21 long-haul and nine short-haul versions.

Adapted from French by DeepL/dos

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