Swiss glacier retreat reveals aircraft wreckage from 1963 crash

Remains of an aircraft that crashed in 1963 have been found on the Hüfifirn glacier in the Swiss canton of Uri. A hiker reported the wreckage to police, who contacted the Swiss Safety Investigation Authority (Sust). The authority identified the parts as light metal from an aircraft, likely from a plane that had crashed in the area in 1963. The wreckage had not been recovered at the time, which was not unusual for accidents in inaccessible alpine terrain due to limited technical capabilities, police said. Melting of the glacier made the parts visible. Around 250 kilograms of material was recovered on 3 September. The parts will be disposed of by a recycling company. According to Swiss broadcaster SRF, based on Sust data, there were multiple accidents on the Hüfifirn glacier near the Clariden Pass. A Champion light aircraft crashed, and the next day a Piper Super Cub crashed during a recovery attempt. Both accidents were without injuries. The first aircraft was later recovered, but the Piper PA-18 Super Cub was not. It is likely the wreckage is from that aircraft.