two people died in passenger plane crash

A tourist plane registered in Austria crashed on Thursday, May 9, in the middle of the afternoon, on takeoff from the Challes-les-Eaux aerodrome (Savoie), according to information from France Bleu Pays de Savoie. The two occupants on board the aircraft – Austrian nationals – died.

According to information from France Bleu Pays de Savoie, the victims are two Austrians: the pilot, a 54-year-old man and his passenger, a 49-year-old woman. They had landed at Challes-les-Eaux for refueling before leaving, but around 4 p.m. the single-engine crashed at the end of the runway on piles of rubble, to the north-east of the aerodrome, on the site of the earthmoving company ATP Service, before catching fire.

By late afternoon, the accident scene was still frozen. The Lyon deminers must intervene before the gendarmes can make the first findings. “Pyrotechnic substances may be found in the safety device which is supposed to release the plane’s parachute and the site must be secured”, indicated a source close to the matter to France Bleu Pays de Savoie. Due to this risk of explosion within a radius of 100 meters, a house located not far from the accident site had to be evacuated.

An investigation into “research into the cause of death” was opened by the Chambéry public prosecutor’s office and entrusted, jointly, to the Paris air transport research section and the Savoie gendarmerie group.