What happened
A special flight departing from Vienna-Schwechat Airport was en route to Hohenems-Dornbirn Airport when the crew encountered deteriorating weather. Due to these conditions, the decision was made to divert the flight to Altenrhein Airport in Switzerland. At approximately 10:54, the twin engine airplane was recorded passing the Altenrhein VOR at an altitude of 2,000 feet, with visibility estimated between 3 and 4 kilometers amidst heavy cloud cover.
While performing the final turns to establish a glide path for runway 10, the aircraft remained above the cloud layer. During this phase of flight, the plane struck the surface of Lake Constance, approximately 5,100 meters before reaching the runway threshold. The wreckage was located near the village of Horn. The impact destroyed the aircraft, and there were 11 fatalities among the two pilots and nine passengers.
Findings
The investigation determined that the primary cause of the accident was the crew's decision to continue a visual flight rules (VFR) approach while operating in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Several contributing factors were identified, including:
- Inaccurate assessment of the prevailing weather conditions during the approach
- Ineffective distribution of cockpit duties among the crew members
- Incorrect utilization of the radio altimeter and altitude preselect systems
- High levels of stress caused by encroaching fog and worsening weather
- Psychological pressure exerted on the crew due to a high-profile passenger being on board