Light aircraft crashes on takeoff from Zurich Airport
A light aircraft with two pilots on board crashed on Thursday night moments after it took off from Zurich Airport.
The plane, a Cessna 560, was bound for the Swiss capital, Bern, when it crashed and burst into flames shortly after take-off.
Urs Fleischer, a spokesman for Zurich Airport, confirmed that neither pilot had survived the impact.
“A fire broke out on board the aircraft as it was making a first turn to the right,” Fleischer said at a hastily convened press conference inside the airport terminal.
The flight and voice data recorders have been recovered from the aircraft and an investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.
“At the time of the accident, weather conditions were normal for the time of year, ” Fleischer added, “and there was no rain or snow.”
The last major accident at the airport was on November 24, when a commercial jet operated by Crossair crashed shortly before landing, killing 24 of the 33 people on board.
swissinfo with agencies
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