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Cars and Transportation

Botched plane landing kills three in Germany

October 14, 2018

A sports plane hit three people while attempting to land on a mountain in central Germany, police have said. Rescuers have been deployed to the scene.

https://p.dw.com/p/36Wkh
The damaged Cessna airplane at Wasserkuppe
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Engel

A Cessna plane crashed through a barrier and hit two women and a child during a botched landing on Sunday, killing all three, German police said. It was not immediately known if the victims were related.

The pilot of the sports aircraft was apparently attempting to land on the mountain of Wasserkuppe in the central German state of Hesse. First responders have been deployed to the site.

Hesse's public broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk said that the 56-year-old pilot was not injured. However, the three of his passengers were hospitalized due to light injuries, and an eyewitness was all treated for schock at the scene.

According to the police, the pilot failed to align the plane with the runway for landing and tried to lift off once again, but the aircraft lost power and crashed into a group of passers-by just outside the airfield.

The mountain is a popular site for paragliders and light aircraft enthusiasts, and has a small airfield. Trekkers and other visitors also frequent the area.

dj/rc (AFP, DPA)