Emergency landing in Graz

Smoke: Swiss aircraft forced to make an emergency landing in Graz

A Swiss Air (archive picture)

(Bild: FH GRZ)

A Swiss Air aircraft with the flight number LX 1885 had to make an emergency landing in Graz on Monday evening with 79 people on board. One crew member was seriously injured in the incident and was taken to hospital by helicopter. The emergency was caused by engine problems and smoke in the cabin and cockpit.

According to the police, a total of 13 passengers were taken to hospital in addition to the two pilots and two crew members.

According to Swiss media reports, the plane took off from Bucharest (Romania) at 4.35 p.m. on Monday. With 74 passengers and five crew members on board, it was bound for Zurich. 

"We were told to take the emergency landing position", one passenger told the tabloid newspaper "20 Minuten". Despite the smoke, the oxygen masks did not fall off and the passengers covered their mouths with cloth as an emergency measure.

Here you can see a photo taken after landing.

Crew member seriously injured
The Swiss Air plane informed Graz Airport and made an unscheduled landing in the Styrian capital at 6.15 pm. The people involved received first aid at the airport.

One injured crew member was taken to hospital by helicopter. According to eyewitnesses, the man was unconscious and had to be resuscitated. According to the Styrian police, the crew member suffered serious injuries and requires intensive medical care. According to initial findings, the other people were probably slightly injured.

Here you can see a post about the incident on Platform X:

A passenger said that the evacuation was "calm" and "professional". Graz Airport was temporarily closed due to the incident.

"If I die now, at least I'll see him again"
Passenger Linda, a missionary from the USA, was also on her way to Zurich to spend Christmas with her daughter: "Suddenly an engine failed and heavy smoke developed. All the passengers stayed calm and prayed, only one baby and his mother cried." Linda was not afraid, her son had only died in March: "I thought to myself, if I die now, at least I'll see him again." The crew had done a good job.

In a case like this, a crisis team consisting of around 45 experts is automatically set up. The plane was able to land safely at 17:53. The passengers were evacuated via slides. This was anything but an ordinary diversionary landing - we have never had anything like this in Graz before.

Jürgen Löschnig, Geschäftsführer Flughafen Graz

Swiss team approaching Graz
The Airbus was still on the runway shortly after 10 pm. However, no take-off or landing was planned for Monday evening, according to a spokeswoman for the airport. Swiss announced that a working group had been set up to deal with the accommodation and onward transportation of passengers, among other things. 

Michael Pelzer, Swissair spokesman, landed in Graz at 1 a.m., he is part of a so-called care team: "The pilot sent out Mayday. This gives you top priority in the airspace and on the ground. The crew reacted immediately and took the quickest route to Graz."

Posting about the incident on Platform X:

It was initially unclear why smoke developed in the first place. The cause of the incident is being investigated together with the authorities in Austria.

The aircraft involved was an Airbus A220 with the registration HB-JCD. The aircraft is part of Swiss' short-haul fleet and has 145 seats, according to the airline's website.