2 fatalities

Delivery flight crash on Gliems Glacier kills two crew members

Toedi, SwitzerlandFlight

On September 7, 1920, a Savoia S.9 operated by Finnish Air Force - Suomen Ilmavoimat was involved in an aviation accident near Toedi, Switzerland in flight. 2 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft crashed because the wooden propeller disintegrated in flight due to defective gluing caused by sabotage during manufacturing. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-08-04Data APIEditorial standards

A twin-engine aircraft crashed into the Gliems Glacier in Switzerland while crossing the Alps during a delivery flight from Lake Maggiore to Finland. Both crew members were killed in the accident, which was later attributed to propeller failure.

What happened

The incident involved an aircraft operating as a delivery flight between Lake Maggiore and Finland. The plane departed its origin point in the early morning hours with two individuals on board. While traversing the Alpine region, the aircraft lost control and impacted the terrain on the Gliems Glacier, located in the Toedi area of Glarus. Both occupants were killed in the crash. Their remains were subsequently transported to Zurich, where they were cremated four days after the accident.

Findings

Swiss authorities investigated the cause of the disaster and determined that the accident resulted from the disintegration of the wooded propeller while in flight. The investigation concluded that this failure was due to a faulty gluing method used during the manufacturing process by Savoia. The official findings further indicated that this defect was the result of sabotage.

Probable cause

The aircraft crashed because the wooden propeller disintegrated in flight due to defective gluing caused by sabotage during manufacturing.