Interim report on ultralight aircraft crash in Brand-Nagelberg: Wing detached at 2,200 meters altitude

His route took him over Schrems and Amaliendorf to the Langegg area. According to the SUB, the total flight time at that point was about two and a half hours. On the way back from the Waldviertel toward the Czech Republic, the left wing detached at an altitude of about 2,200 meters. The aircraft became uncontrollable as a result and crashed onto a road in the locality of Steinbach.

Eyewitness account

The ultralight motorized glider built by Czech manufacturer ProFe smashed to pieces in the middle of a residential area. For the 63-year-old pilot from the Czech Republic, any help came too late – he died on impact. According to the report, he "dürfte" ("was likely") "auf der Stelle tot gewesen sein" ("dead on the spot").

For more than a year, the experts of the Federal Safety Investigation Authority (SUB) worked on the incident. The wooden structural fractures on the ultralight aircraft were also examined by experts. As the interim report states, "liegt mittlerweile ein Zwischenbericht vor" ("an interim report is now available").

The acting municipal council member Stefan Möslinger observed the crash from very close by. He told media: "Meine Frau, meine Schwägerin und ich sind auf der Terrasse gesessen, als wir ein dumpes Flattern gehört haben. Es hat wie die Plane eines Lkw im Wind geklungen." Shortly afterward, he heard the impact, only around 250 meters from his home.

Emergency services and rescue parachute

An additional complicating factor arose for the emergency services: because the aircraft's rescue parachute, which was fitted with a detonator, had not deployed, the ordnance disposal service first had to be called in before recovery teams could approach the accident site.

Status of the investigation

The SUB emphasizes that this is an interim report that brings together initial findings on the flight history and the technical condition of the aircraft. When the final report will be available has not yet been determined. The authority announced that further material testing and evaluations will be carried out before a final ruling on the cause of the accident can be issued.

The crash caused dismay in the Waldviertel region, as the aircraft came down in the middle of a residential area. The municipality of Brand-Nagelberg belongs to the district of Gmünd in northwestern Lower Austria, not far from the Czech border. The responsible authorities had temporarily closed the airspace around the accident site after the impact.

According to its own statements, the SUB's investigations are focused on the structural integrity of the wooden wing and on the history of the aircraft. Findings from the evaluation of the flight data recorder data and the weather records are to be incorporated into the final report.