Culture of fear blamed for Zurich air crash
A "culture of fear" at the former Crossair airline company contributed to an air crash which killed 24 people in 2001, says the Federal Prosecutors' Office.
The airline’s founder, Moritz Suter, and its head at the time, André Dosé, are to face charges of negligent homicide and bodily injury caused by negligence at a trial opening on May 5.
Both defendants have always maintained their innocence.
A Crossair plane with 33 people on board flying from Berlin to Zurich crashed into woodland near Bassersdorf as it came in too low to land in foggy, snowy weather.
It was one of the worst air crashes in Swiss aviation history.
The searing indictment against Suter – published on Sunday – says he established a dictatorial hierarchy and would not accept criticism. He allegedly told pilots to ignore regulations and rewarded those who took risks.
Pilots who followed the regulations and admitted errors in the flight reports were likely to find themselves sacked or denied promotion, it says.
Suter allegedly told newly recruited co-pilots at an official dinner that a good Crossair pilot could fly below the minimum altitude to land in poor visibility.
“A Crossair captain needs three qualities: he must be able to lie, hold his ground and deny accusations,” the indictment quotes Suter as telling pilots.
The prosecutor says that Suter failed to learn the lessons of another fatal accident near Zurich in 2000 when a Crossair plane crashed on take-off, killing all ten people on board.
The indictment against Dosé, who replaced Suter as chief executive officer, says he continued the same culture of fear.
Accident report
A report by Switzerland’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau issued in 2004 found that the pilot had dropped below the minimum descent altitude, ignoring automatic alarm signals.
It said he had been too tired to concentrate fully or to take crucial decisions, having worked for 13 hours. He had also exceeded the maximum duty times in the two days before the accident.
The report added that the pilot was known to have certain “weaknesses”, which the airline had overlooked.
It criticised a lack of safety controls and poor pilot training at Crossair.
Four other former Crossair managers will also face trial at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, in a hearing expected to last around two weeks. The alleged offences carry a maximum of three years imprisonment or a fine.
Swiss Airlines
Suter lost his position on the Crossair board when the airline was restructured in 2001 to become the basis of the new national carrier, Swiss International Airlines.
He founded a new independent airline, Hello, in 2004, also based in Basel.
Dosé became head of Swiss International Air Lines but failed to make it turn in a profit. He lost his job in 2004 when Swiss became part of the German company Lufthansa group.
He later joined the crisis-ridden airline Gulf Air where he inaugurated a financial restructuring programme, but left the job after four months.
swissinfo with agencies
Crossair was founded as a private company by former Swissair pilot Moritz Suter in 1975 under the name Business Flyers Basel.
It changed its name to Crossair in 1978 and started schedule services in 1979.
In 1993 the then national carrier, Swissair, became the majority shareholder.
When Swissair was grounded in October 2001, Crossair became the backbone of the new national carrier, Swiss International Air Lines.
Crossair made its last official flight in its former capacity in March 2002.
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