A320 in turbulence

Pilot: “Could have ended in a catastrophe”

Josef Mündler's hail defense pilots were dealing with the same thunderstorm that severely demolished the AUA A320 aircraft on Sunday.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Privat, Christian Jauschowetz,)

On Sunday, two hail planes "worked" over Hartberg in Styria on the very thunderstorm cell that caused turbulence for the AUA plane on its way from Palma to Vienna. For chief pilot Josef Mündler, it is a mystery how the Airbus could get into such a dangerous situation.

On Sunday, a thunderstorm tower billowed a good 15 kilometers into the sky over Hartberg in eastern Styria, reportedly causing serious difficulties for an AUA aircraft. Parts of the aircraft nose were literally blown off by hailstones and the cockpit window was so demolished that the two pilots ultimately had to land in Vienna-Schwechat flying blind.