What happened
On September 19, 2025, at approximately 13:45 local time, a Piper Aircraft Coorp. PA-18 seaplane was involved in a fatal accident near Hirsgarten Bad, Cham. The aircraft, registered as HB-ORK, was operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) for a private flight. The mission was a local circuit, departing from and returning to the Cham water aerodrome.
During the landing phase, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled flight attitude. This loss of control led to the aircraft impacting the water, resulting in the destruction of the plane. While the pilot survived the impact without injury, the single passenger sustained fatal injuries.
The investigation
Due to a conflict of interest, the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (SUST) has delegated the official investigation to the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU). The preliminary report focuses on the sequence of events leading to the impact and the immediate circumstances of the uncontrolled descent.