Swiss jet wreckage found in Alps

The wreckage of an F/A-18 fighter jet that went missing over the Swiss Alps yesterday has been found in the mountains near the Susten Pass, army officials have said. Searches are continuing for the missing pilot.

Three army helicopters took off on Monday afternoon to help look for the missing one-seater fighter jet and pilot, both of which had disappeared earlier that day flying over the mountains in central Switzerland.

A statement by the Federal Department of Defence issued on Tuesday afternoon said the wreckage had been spotted by one of the helicopter pilots. However, it is currently not possible to access the crash site on foot due to poor weather conditions.

Mountain rescue specialists will attempt to gain access via helicopter when the weather clears. Meanwhile, the search continues for the missing jet pilot.

On Tuesday morning an air exclusion zone was set up between cantons Uri and Bern and 19 mountain rescue specialists were reported helping air rescue teams and Zurich police search for the missing pilot and plane. The teams are carrying out their search on foot at altitudes of over 3,000m. The search was hampered by bad weather on Monday evening.

The single-seat aircraft had been participating in a training mission with another jet in a thick layer of clouds. Last contact with the missing pilot was at 16.05pm Swiss time on Monday.

“We hope and pray,” said Swiss Air Force Commander Aldo Schellenberg when asked about the pilot’s chances of survival at a media conference in Bern on Monday evening. Schellenberg said his thoughts were with the pilot and his family.

After taking off from the Meiringen military airport at 16.01pm, the missing pilot had responded to a radio call as expected at 16.05. However, he failed to reply to a second call. He and the other F/A-18 Hornet pilot were practising manoeuvres for a potential engagement with an F-5 Tiger aircraft.

Both the aircraft and the ejector seat were equipped with transmitters.

Fighter jet accidents

Just last month, two Swiss air force jets intercepted an Israeli El Al airliner near Schaffhausen after an anonymous bomb threat. The Swiss Air Force is currently ramping up its coverage to protect Swiss air space. The goal is to provide 24/7 coverage with two armed jets by 2020.

Critics have questioned whether the recent increased demand is leading to more accidents. The incident is the third time the Swiss Air Force has lost one of its F/A 18 jets in the last three years. Last October, a two-seat F/A-18 crashed in France during a training flight, injuring the pilot, while another F/A-18 crashed in 2013.

In June, an F5 fighter jet from Patrouille Suisse crashed in the Netherlands after two jets touched during a training flight there. The pilot was able to escape using the ejector seat.

Over the past 20 years, there have been 12 accidents involving Swiss Air Force jets or helicopters, killing 21 people.

Current fighter jet fleet

The Swiss Air Force originally procured 34 F/A-18s: 26 single-seater, and eight double-seater. After recent accidents it now has 30. There are also 36 F-5-Tiger jets, but these are getting too old.

In May 2014, Swiss voters rejected the defence ministry’s $3.5 billion (CHF3.4 billion) order for 22 new Gripen fighter jets from Swedish defence company Saab AB.

swissinfo.ch