What happened
On March 21, 1997, a Cessna T 210 N was conducting a flight from Budapest, Hungary, to Samedan, Switzerland. Due to deteriorating weather conditions at the destination—which lacks instrument approach procedures and requires VFR flight—air traffic control advised the pilot to land in Innsbruck, Austria, to obtain updated weather information.
Following a weather briefing, the pilot departed Innsbruck at 13:27 CEST to continue the flight to Samedan under VFR conditions, despite having been advised against the planned route. The aircraft departed the control zone via the Inn Valley. However, due to low cloud ceilings and poor visibility, the pilot lost orientation after Landeck and mistakenly followed the Trisannatal valley at a low altitude. The aircraft was last seen at an altitude of approximately 100 meters over Galltür and 2/3 of the way up the Silvretta Dam wall, climbing into fog and blowing snow.
Ultimately, the aircraft struck rising terrain on a northern slope of the Silvretta massif near 'Rote Furka' at an altitude of 2,710 m MSL. The impact resulted in one fatality (the pilot) and one serious injury (the passenger). The aircraft was destroyed.
The investigation
The accident was investigated by a commission from the Austrian authorities, which produced a final report regarding the sequence of events and the underlying causes.
Findings
The investigation determined that the primary cause of the collision with terrain was the decision to continue a VFR flight under marginal meteorological conditions, which led to a loss of orientation within the high-alpine terrain.
Safety action
The investigation commission highlighted the critical importance of using both lap and shoulder belts. It was noted that because the cabin structure sustained only moderate deformation due to a moderate deceleration during impact, the accident might have been survivable with only minor injuries had the occupants been properly restrained.