Saab 340 crash, Jan 10, 2000 (10 killed), Nassenwil
Saab 340 accident on January 10, 2000 near Nassenwil, Zurich, Switzerland with 10 fatalities. Cause: Loss of control after the crew lost spatial...
- Date: January 10, 2000
- Aircraft: Saab 340
- Location: Nassenwil, Zurich, Switzerland
- Fatalities: 10
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: Loss of control after the crew lost spatial orientation and entered a spiral dive to the right. Contributing factors included inappropriate crew reaction to the change in departure clearance, an unrequested FMS entry, the autopilot not being engaged, and the commander's reliance on a learned reaction pattern.
A Crossair Saab 340B operating scheduled flight LX498 from Zurich to Dresden entered a spiral dive shortly after takeoff at night in cloud and crashed in an open field at Nassenwil. The crew lost spatial orientation after a departure clearance change, a left turn was not flown as instructed, and the autopilot was not used during the climb. All three crew and seven passengers died.