Pilot dead after army plane crashes in the Swiss Alps
A PILOT has been found dead following a massive search operation after a military plane went missing in the Swiss Alps.
A search and rescue operation was launched after a PC-7 military aircraft vanished
A search and rescue operation was launched after a PC-7 military aircraft vanished while flying over the mountains.
The plan set off on Tuesday morning, around 8.30m, on a routine training flight from Payerne airfield in the canton of Vaud.
The experienced pilot was the only person on board.
The plane was scheduled to land in Locarno, in the canton of Ticino, jut an hour later but never arrived.
When the craft did not land on time, a search and rescue operation was launched in the Swiss Alps.
After seeing the area, rescuers found the wreckage several hours later, around 4pm, on the Schreckhorn above Grindelwald in the Bernese Oberland.
And a no-fly zone has been established within a three mile radius
An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash.
Bad weather is hampering recovery efforts, meaning it may take days before rescuers are able to remove the wreckage, the Army said.
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The area has been closed off to hikers and will remain closed until September 19.
And a no-fly zone has been established within a three mile radius, and an altitude of 4,000m.
The plane was scheduled to land in Locarno, in the canton of Ticino
The crash is the latest in a string of tragic crashes involving military planes.
Last September an army helicopter crashed after hitting power lines in the Cotthard pass, killing two pilots on board.
The experienced pilot was the only person on board
And the month before, a pilot of a F/A-18 fighter jet crashed on the Susten pass while on a training exercise.
Air force chief Aldo Schellenberg stressed none of the incidents were related.