News Switzerland crash: Twenty dead as WW2 plane crash

[Notebook]

Twenty people have died after a World War Two vintage aircraft crashed into a Swiss mountainside, police say.
The plane - a Junker JU-52 HB-HOT - was carrying 17 passengers and three crew on a sightseeing flight when it took off on Saturday.
Operator JU-Air said it was saddened by the news and it had set up a helpline for relatives. It has suspended all flights until further notice.
The cause of the crash is not yet known.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45076060

didn't realise their were any still flying?

N.

 

[francisdrake]

This is sad news!
There are a few Ju-52 still flying, maintained by enthusiasts.

A problem of flying in the Alps with these vintage planes is that their engines do not have the power to climb very high, so the routes have to follow the Alpine valleys. In case of a partial power loss they might not even make it over the mountain passes. Then they have to turn back in a tight circle within the valley sides. Maybe this happened here and resulted in a stall, leading to the nearly vertical impact described by witnesses.

 

[Urwumpe]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45076060

didn't realise their were any still flying?

N.

The Lufthansa still has their Ju-52 flying, saw it once during a recertification in Brunswick.


https://www.dlbs.de/de/Die-Flotte/Junkers-JU-52/index.php

The current flightplan of it is here:

https://www.dlbs.de/de/Ju-52-Rund-und-Streckenfluege/Ju-52-Flugplan.php

 

[jedidia]

didn't realise their were any still flying?

We have a couple. Or had, as it now seems. The way I heard it in the news, the company that flew them announced that it will seize operations permanently after the crash. Might be a bit early since we don't even know the cause yet, but then again, those planes are only getting older.

I'll miss them. Seeing "Tante Ju" (Aunty Ju, as we call them) flying overhead was not a common, but not exceptionally rare sight either, that has been there all through my live.