The mysterious crash of a private jet off the Latvian coast, which killed four people, has been puzzling researchers in Latvia, France, Germany, Austria, Canada, the US and Spain for weeks. The 72-year-old pilot of the Austrian-registered Cessna 551, which departed from Spain and was bound for Cologne, reported a cabin pressure problem 45 minutes after takeoff. Moments later, air traffic control lost contact with the “ghost flight”. An interim report on the accident is now available. This is about the misconduct of the pilot, which probably led to the crash.
The German entrepreneur Peter Griesemann, whose wife, daughter and son-in-law were also on board, drove the machine himself. According to the researchers, the 72-year-old had already flown more than 1,700 hours — albeit mostly through flights in single-engine small planes. Griesemann, however, had spent only 100 hours in a twin-engine Cessna 551.
He also flew without a copilot, which researchers describe as risky, if only because of his advanced age, when health emergencies are more likely than with younger pilots. Even in the emergency situation, the 72-year-old did not take the right measures.
An oxygen mask should have been put on immediately and the oxygen supply to the passengers should have been ensured. In addition, Griesemann’s radio messages did not correspond to the internationally recognized alarm messages. “Mayday” has not fallen once, indicating an emergency. There was also no emergency descent. The transponder also did not send an emergency signal, the report continues.
Commercial pilot suspects: ‘Accident pilot was completely overwhelmed’
“The way the accident pilot proceeded leads me to conclude that he was completely overwhelmed by the situation. It is also incomprehensible to me that it is even allowed to fly multi-engine jets as a single pilot, in my opinion that is generally gross negligence, ”explains a commercial pilot to the news portal “Austrian Wings”.
The accident, according to the news site, sparked a discussion among pilots about the single pilot operations allowed for the Cessna 551. The unanimous opinion of experts is that even experienced commercial pilots can quickly reach their limits in such situations alone in the cockpit. A co-pilot as a controlling and supporting partner could probably have prevented the catastrophe.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
