Tragedy in the Alps: Small plane crashes – four dead identified!

Tragedy in the Alps: Small plane crashes – four dead identified!

On Saturday, July 6, 2025, there was a tragic aviation accident in Austria. A single-engine light aircraft crashed near the impressive Krimml Waterfalls, leaving four dead. The identity of the victims has now been clarified: they are a 70-year-old man from the Upper Bavarian district of Ebersberg, his 33-year-old son and his 33-year-old girlfriend from Regensburg. The 59-year-old pilot from Markt Schwaben was also among the victims. Everyone on board had decided to go on a sightseeing flight over the Alps when the accident happened. As Radiowuppertal reports, the aircraft was almost completely destroyed by fire after the crash. The Salzburg public prosecutor's office has already ordered an autopsy of the victims and the seizure of the wreckage.

The exact time of the accident occurred in the early phase of the sightseeing flight, where the aircraft had taken off from Oberschleissheim near Munich. The impassable terrain of the Krimml Waterfalls posed a major challenge to the rescue work. After the crash, emergency services were quickly on site to assess the situation and provide assistance.

Impact in the region

But it wasn't just in Austria that a tragic incident occurred. Nearby, in Ostallgäu, Bavaria, a small plane also crashed, drawing the attention of authorities and the public to aviation safety. On Monday there was a small plane crash in which a 65-year-old man died, while another 53-year-old passenger had to be taken to hospital with serious injuries. Witnesses reported that the “Breezer C” aircraft, which had taken off from Kempten-Durach airfield, crashed into a forest, leaving wreckage stuck in the trees. This shows how unpredictable air travel can be and what dangers lurk in the air. The [Stern](https://www.stern.de/gesellschaft/bayern–ein-toter-nach-abrutsch-von-klein Flugzeug-im-ostallgaeu-30780502.html) reporting highlights that the causes of the crash are still unclear. Investigations led by the Kempten public prosecutor's office are underway.

When we look at the bigger picture, it is not surprising that the number of plane crashes overall is declining. According to Statista, there were 268 deaths from aircraft accidents worldwide in 2024. Compared to the numbers before the turn of the millennium, when over 1,000 people lost their lives every year, this is a positive development. However, the aviation industry is not without challenges, and technical innovations such as landing assistants are becoming increasingly important to increase safety.

As we monitor pilot decisions and technological developments, the importance of maintaining safety standards in aviation is demonstrated once again. The sad incidents in Austria and Bavaria remind us to take this issue seriously.