Pilot died – tragedy: glider pilot crashed in Karawanken

A 56-year-old from Klagenfurt wanted to take advantage of the nice weather during the Pentecost weekend and took off on a glider flight from Klagenfurt airport on Saturday around 1:30 p.m. “The pilot was alone in his glider. He sent out a distress signal around 4:40 p.m.,” police said. “Because the pilot could not be reached despite several attempts, a search was started.”

Crash site at 1700 meters above sea level
Several police patrols from the Klagenfurt Land Police Command, the police helicopter Libelle and the rescue helicopter ÖAMTC C11 went in search. “Around 8 p.m. the crew of the C11 was able to discover the crashed glider in a cirque on the north side of the Weinasch,” the police continued. The crash site is at an altitude of approximately 1,700 meters above sea level in Bärental.

The storage room had to be demolished
“The 56-year-old pilot died in the crash,” police confirmed. “According to the current status of the investigation, the man flew from Klagenfurt airport over the Karawanken Mountains into Slovenian airspace and crashed on the return flight on Austrian territory on the north side of the Weinasch for unknown reasons. Darker and strong downward winds prevailed, the rescue and investigation work was temporarily canceled on Saturday evening.

“Together with the aircraft accident committee, the operation will continue during the day today,” the police said. In addition to the police and the two helicopters, the Ferlach mountain rescue service with ten members was also present.