Melting Swiss glacier reveals debris from 1963 plane crash

Melting glacier in Uri reveals aeroplane that crashed in 1963 Keystone-SDA

Around 250 kilograms of debris from an aeroplane that crashed in 1963 have been recovered from the Hüfifirn Glacier in canton Uri in central Switzerland. A mountaineer had informed the Uri cantonal police about the exposed wreckage.

Investigations carried out in conjunction with the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (Sust) revealed that it is “highly likely” that the wreckage is from an aircraft that crashed in 1963. The recovered wreckage will now be disposed of properly by a recycling company.

The fact that the wreckage was not recovered after the crash more than 60 years ago is not unusual, given the limited technical capabilities at the time, the cantonal police wrote. The remains only became visible again as the glacier melted.

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The recovery operation took place on Thursday September 3 and was organised by Sust. In addition to the Uri Cantonal Police, a private helicopter company, another private transport firm and the Swiss Air Force’s mountain detachment were also involved, the police statement added.

Several aviation accidents in May 1963

In May 1963, several aviation accidents occurred on the Hüfifirn Glacier near the Clariden Pass between Uri and Glarus, as shown in the Sust’s report database. First, on May 9, a pilot and a passenger crashed in a Champion light aircraft. They were unharmed.

The following day, a recovery attempt led to another crash involving a Piper Super Cub, again with no injuries. On May 21 and 22, further attempts were made to recover the two aircraft with the aid of a helicopter.

While the wreckage of the Champion aircraft arrived at Mollis airfield on May 22, 1963, the attempt to recover the Piper aircraft was unsuccessful. On May 21, the first attempt failed because the wreckage became stuck in the snow, rolled over and struck the helicopter with its right wing. The following day, the operation failed after the load began to swing violently during take-off. The pilot decided to unhook the wreckage, and it fell hundreds of metres to the ground.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.