After a Swiss plane had to make an emergency landing in Graz and a flight attendant died, it is now clear: the 23-year-old died due to lack of oxygen. His brain suffered extensive damage. His breathing mask is still the focus of the investigation – the protective mask in question had been flagged for flaws in the past.
The emergency landing of the plane, which was en route from Bucharest to Zurich, took place on December 23 after heavy smoke appeared in the cabin and cockpit. Engine problems are said to have been the cause of the accident. The stewardess is said to have already fainted on board. After a week in intensive care, the young Swiss died on December 30.
Lack of oxygen and swelling of the brain
The Graz Public Prosecutor’s Office started an investigation after the death. “An autopsy was conducted on the body on Friday. The preliminary cause of death is: hypoxic brain damage and cerebral edema,” spokesperson Hansjörg Bacher told “Blick”. The 23-year-old suffered from a severe lack of oxygen – how exactly this happened is still being investigated in the laboratory.
In addition, the autopsy showed that the heart was ‘extremely dilated’ for his age and there were indications that the Swiss had purulent bronchitis. “It is unclear whether there is a connection with the cause of death,” Bacher explains.
Problems with protective equipment are known
Protective equipment is also central to the investigation: “We are also investigating the role of the breathing mask that the flight attendant was wearing.” Problems with the mask had been known for some time: the airline had to admit in October 2023 that the protective equipment was “partially defective”. The defects related to special masks with oxygen generators for the crew, “so that breathing is possible even when there is smoke in the cabin and the crew members can move unhindered,” the report said.
Crew ready to testify in Graz
The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Graz is now investigating, among other things, this context and into negligent homicide and bodily harm. The airline is helping with the investigation: “Swiss is cooperating and has assured us through a lawyer in Vienna that the crew is ready to come to Graz to testify on site,” Bacher said. There is currently no criminal investigation underway in Switzerland, but the spokesperson for the Federal Prosecutor’s Office told “SonntagsZeitung” that discussions are taking place with Austrian authorities.
Source: Krone
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