Endangering the community?

AUA hail flight now also occupies the judiciary

The horror flight of the AUA aircraft with the flight number OS434 on June 9, 2024 is now a case for the public prosecutor's office.

(Bild: Leserreporter/zVg)

The horror flight of the AUA aircraft with the flight number OS434 on June 9, 2024 is now a case for the public prosecutor's office. According to a Viennese lawyer, the fact that the plane was in an emergency due to massive hailstorms could be a case of negligent endangerment of the public.

The 173 passengers and four crew members will probably never forget the flight from Palma de Mallorca to Vienna. One affected passenger described the horror to the "Krone" newspaper: "We went down abruptly, it really hit us for a few seconds and there was a rumble. Then I saw pieces of plastic flying past," reported Manuel H. from Upper Austria. 

Terrifying flight becomes a case for the courts
The terrifying flight is now a case for the public prosecutor's office. According to the "Kurier" newspaper, Viennese lawyer Wolfgang List has sent a statement of facts to the Korneuburg public prosecutor's office on behalf of two of those affected. The charge: negligent endangerment of the public - punishable by up to one year's imprisonment.

The pictures of the destroyed machine will probably be remembered.

(Bild: Leserreporter/zVg)

(Bild: zVg)

Forwarded to the public prosecutor's office in Graz
The spokesman for the Korneuburg public prosecutor's office, Josef Mechtler, confirmed receipt of the statement of facts on Friday. However, the complaint is not being processed by the Korneuburg public prosecutor's office. It was forwarded to the local public prosecutor's office in Graz. "The thunderstorm cell was located in the jurisdiction of the Graz public prosecutor's office," Mechtler explained in an interview with APA.

Although the charges are directed against unknown persons, the accusations were most likely to affect the two pilots. AUA confirmed to krone.at on Friday that it had already become aware of the events, but: "The facts of the case are still unknown to us. To date, Austrian Airlines has only been informed about this issue through media inquiries. We therefore ask for your understanding that we are unable to comment on this."

Were the pilots negligent?
Shortly after the incident, the airline was confronted with critical accusations. One of the key questions was whether the pilots had misjudged the situation. According to Austro Control, which is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of air traffic in Austrian airspace, the storm had been known.

AUA itself emphasized in this context that it did not want to jump to conclusions: "We ask for your understanding that we are not commenting on ongoing investigations and are awaiting the results of the investigation." 

The Airbus A320 en route from Palma de Mallorca to Vienna was caught in the thunderstorm cell over Hartberg in Styria on June 9. Initially, the emergency call "Mayday" was made. However, the plane landed safely at Vienna Airport and no one was injured.