Drama in Thailand – plane crashes in rice field: Austrian (50) dead

Some herders and rice farmers were already working on Saturday morning, a few kilometers southeast of the Thai holiday paradise of Pattaya, when they observed a plane in distress around 8.30 am and shortly afterwards heard a loud explosion.

Plane hits tree and then crashes
Right before their eyes, a white ultralight aircraft – the reasons for the crash are still unknown and currently under investigation – ran into trouble. He is said to have crashed into a large tree near the Huay Yai Temple, which is popular with tourists, and then fell into the middle of a rice field.

German rescued, Austrian dead
The Thais immediately rushed to the scene of the accident and removed a seriously injured German from a seat in the reportedly burning plane. All help came too late for the second occupant of the two-seat high-wing plane, manufactured by Raj Hamsa, a 50-year-old Austrian. He could only be rescued from the wreckage.

Mödlinger also worked for the AUA
As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed to the Crown, this is a man from Mödling, but his life has been in Thailand for years. Stefan M. worked as a manager for AUA and the Lufthansa Group, among others, and took over responsibilities at Qatar Airways in the autumn. In his private life he was also an enthusiastic pilot and member of a Thai flying club.

The machine traveled only ten kilometers
M. is said to have left on Saturday with an acquaintance in the plane with registration number U-H77 for a sightseeing flight from his airstrip in the south of Pattaya. However, after about ten kilometers it ended abruptly with the death of the Lower Austrian.