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Swiss civil aviation crash history

The crash of a Crossair jet in November 2001 was the worst accident in the history of the now defunct regional airline.

The plane, which was flying from Berlin to Zurich, crashed into woodland just short of the runway, killing 24 of the 33 people on board.

As investigators publish their final report into the cause of the crash, swissinfo takes a look back at some of the major accidents in the history of Swiss civil aviation.

February 1970

A Swissair plane crashes into a forest near Würenlingen just outside Zurich after a bomb explodes on board. 38 passengers and nine crew members are killed.

January 1971

A Balkan-Bulgarian Airlines jet crashes on take-off from Zurich airport killing 45 people. Two passengers survive.

April 1973

Faulty pilot navigation leads to the crash of a plane operated by British charter airline, Invicta, in Hochwald, near Basel. 108 people are killed.

October 1979

A Swissair-operated DC-8 crashes on landing at Athens airport in Greece and bursts into flames, killing 14 people.

February 1989

Eleven people are killed as an Austrian-operated plane crashes into Lake Constance. Among the victims is the Austrian government minister, Alfred Dallinger.

November 1990

An Alitalia DC-9 crashes on take-off from Zurich airport, killing all 46 people on board.

September 1998

A Swissair MD-11 en route from New York to Geneva crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Canada. The accident – the worst in the history of Swiss civil aviation – claims the lives of 229 people.

January 2000

A Crossair-operated Saab 340 crashes shortly after take-off from Zurich airport, killing seven passengers and three crew members.

November 2001

A Jumbolino Avro RJ-100 jet operated by Crossair crashes into woodland just short of the runway at Zurich airport, killing 24 of the 33 people on board.

July 2002

71 people are killed – including 45 Russian children – when a DHL cargo jet collides with a Bashkirian Airlines plane in Swiss-controlled airspace over Lake Constance.

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