1970 Piper PA-28 Cherokee Accident on Lake Geneva (HB-OLV)

Flight Details and Accident Sequence On April 30, 1970, a pilot departed from Lugano-Agno airfield at 15:11 local time in a Piper PA-28 Cherokee, registration HB-OLV, for a private VFR flight to La Côte. The aircraft carried three passengers who had accompanied the pilot on a morning flight from La Côte to Lugano. Due to adverse weather conditions, the pilot abandoned attempts to cross the Simplon, Nufenen, and Gotthard passes. The aircraft climbed to 12,500 ft in the Biasca region and continued climbing to flight level 165 while heading west. Over the Valais, the aircraft flew above a nearly compact cloud layer with a top at approximately 15,000 ft. The pilot contacted Geneva Information at 17:26 and was later handed over to Geneva Radar, which directed the aircraft toward the Gland NDB. At 18:10, while over Lake Geneva near Pully at 15,000 ft, the pilot declared a fuel emergency. The engine, fed by the left tank, stopped at 18:12. The pilot switched to the right tank and activated the electric fuel pump. The engine restarted but failed permanently at 18:15. The aircraft entered the cloud layer at 10,000 ft, and the pilot lost control as the autopilot ceased functioning. Control was regained at approximately 7,000 ft. Unable to reach La Côte airfield, the pilot aimed for the French coast but ditched into the lake at 18:27, approximately 200 m from the shore near a fishing boat. The aircraft capsized and sank. A passenger broke the rear right window, allowing the occupants to exit. Two fishermen rescued the group in time. One passenger was injured, and the others were unharmed. The aircraft was destroyed.