A Spanish twin-engine 8-seater plane crashed in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Latvia on Sunday after a long absence of radio contact, the French Air Force said in a statement.
The aircraft, an Austrian-registered CESSNA 551 from Jerez, was escorted by French and then German air police during its passage through Belgian, Luxembourg and then German airspace.
“Alerts by the Spanish authorities of probable difficulties in pressurizing the aircraft, the Lyon Mont Verdun National Center for Air Operations (CNOA) ordered the takeoff of a Rafale on alert”, but “attempts to establish radio contact were unsuccessful” and “Visual contacts did not allow us to observe any activity in the cabin,” details the Air Force.
An open investigation
In Germany, approaching Cologne, a Lutwaffe Eurofighter took over to guard the plane.
“The CESSNA continued on its way past Cologne and then crashed into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Latvia at around 7:45 pm,” the statement continued.
An investigation should shed light on the causes of the accident.
Source: BFM TV
