Search continues

Fears for pilot of missing small plane

Symbolic picture

(Bild: wikimedia.org/Arpingstone)

There is still no trace of the Cessna that has been missing since Saturday afternoon. Austro Control last had contact with the small plane over the Ötztal (Imst district). Only the pilot was probably on board. Weather conditions and Sahara dust are making the search more difficult. Helicopters set out on a second search flight on Sunday.

According to the police, the Cessna was on its way from Rome to an airport in Germany. On the route, the pilot, who was probably alone in the small plane, probably flew over the 3000-meter peaks of the Ötztal. There, contact with Austria Control was lost at around 11.45 am.

Unsuccessful search on Saturday
A search operation was then launched. However, this was made more difficult by the strong wind and Sahara dust. "Two helicopters were only able to fly briefly during the search," explained a police spokesperson.

The search was called off at around 11 a.m. due to the weather conditions and resumed shortly before 1 p.m.

Klaus Hohenauer, Luftfahrtbehörde des Landes Tirol

The search is still in full swing on Sunday morning, as Austro Control air traffic control explained to the Tyrolean newspaper "Krone": "We are in the middle of the investigation." The Sölden mountain rescue team and two police helicopters are in action. The search has also been extended to the neighboring Pitztal valley. "The search was called off at around 11 a.m. due to the weather conditions, but was resumed shortly before 1 p.m.," explains Klaus Hohenauer from the Tyrolean Aviation Authority. Contact with the pilot was lost on Saturday. The plane was at an altitude of 11,000 feet (about 3,350 meters) at the time.

Only pilot on board, information requested 
According to current information, there was only one pilot and no passenger on board the single-engine aircraft. Please call 01-798 83 80 or the Sölden police station on 059133 / 7108 for information regarding the search for a possible crash site.