Accident Overview
Crossair Flight 498, a scheduled commuter flight from Zurich, Switzerland, to Dresden, Germany, crashed on 10 January 2000. The aircraft, a Saab 340B, departed Zurich Airport at 5:54 p.m. CEST. Two minutes later, it entered a right turn and descended, disappearing from radar. The wreckage scattered over 200–300 meters near houses in Niederhasli, roughly 5 km northwest of the runway. All 10 passengers and crew died. The flight data and cockpit voice recorders were recovered damaged.
Aircraft and Crew
The 33-seat Saab 340B was leased to Crossair from Moldavian Airlines since 1 October 1999. It had accumulated 24,000 flight hours since delivery in November 1990. The aircraft was due for maintenance on 31 January 2000 and carried no freight or mail. The three-person crew consisted of Moldovan captain Pavel Gruzin (41, with 8,100 total hours, 1,900 on type), Slovak first officer Rastislav Kolesár (35, with 1,800 total hours, 1,100 on type), and French flight attendant Severine Jabrin.
Event Details
The flight was scheduled to depart at about 6:00 p.m. CEST. Weather was cold and drizzly. After boarding seven passengers and three crew, the aircraft was cleared for takeoff on time. It departed Runway 28 heading west and climbed normally. After 7.2 km, it suddenly lost altitude and turned right, deviating from the approved left turn. When air traffic control asked about the turn, the crew replied "Stand by," then radio contact was lost. The plane crashed 1 minute 56 seconds after takeoff. No survivors were found.
Passengers
Four passengers were German; the other three were French, Swiss, and Spanish.
Investigation
The Swiss Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) investigated and issued a final report in 2004. The investigation occurred amid a labor dispute between Crossair and its pilots over pay and work rules. The AAIB concluded the crash resulted from a loss of control due to multiple pilot errors.