Microlight sinks in Lake Bütgenbach; both occupants survive

A microlight aircraft crashed into Lake Bütgenbach in eastern Belgium on Friday, 25 September, shortly before 19:00. Both occupants escaped the enclosed cabin before the aircraft sank. No cause has been established.

A fisherman on the lake pulled the 71-year-old pilot from the water. The passenger, aged 20, swam to a buoy. Emergency services flew both to a hospital in Liège by helicopter.

The passenger was released that evening, and the pilot was expected to be discharged the following day.

The flight had departed from Büllingen, an airfield nearby. According to witnesses, the aircraft passed low over the lake, then banked left and hit the water between Berger Strand and the Worriken leisure park.

The wreckage settled on the bed of the lake. Recovery is scheduled for next week.