Ropes attached

Recovery of the crashed plane from Lake Attersee has begun

The aircraft is now being recovered from the depths of Lake Attersee.(Bild: FOTOKERSCHI / WERNER KERSCHBAUMMAYR)

After a training plane carrying flight instructor Benedikt and student Fiona crashed into Lake Attersee on Wednesday, recovery efforts are now underway. Divers attached the ropes to the wreckage on Monday morning at a depth of about 160 meters. The plane is expected to finally be brought to the surface in the late afternoon.

“If everything goes according to plan, the plane should be brought out of the water in the late afternoon,” officials said on Monday. Recovery efforts, which had to be suspended on Saturday afternoon, resumed on Monday morning. The operation had proved too technically challenging—initial attempts had involved using a robot to attach the ropes.

Two specialized divers finally reached the wreck on Monday at a depth of about 160 meters and apparently succeeded in attaching the recovery lines.

Floating Buoy with Crane at the Accident Site
At the same time, preparations are underway to lift the wreck. Emergency crews had transported a large floating buoy, mounted with a crane and a winch, to the accident site. Further work for the salvage operation is currently being prepared there.

“Grueling” Recovery
The recovery is proving particularly challenging due to the great depth of the water and the damage to the aircraft wreckage. District Fire Chief Wolfgang Hufnagl described it on Saturday as a “grueling ordeal.” Parts of the tail and wings are bent or broken off. The aircraft must be lifted with the utmost care to prevent further breakage.

Wreckage lies about 300 meters from the shore on the lake bottom
The 19-year-old flight student and her 24-year-old flight instructor crashed into Lake Attersee on Wednesday. On the evening of the accident, the wreckage was located about 300 meters from the shore at a depth of 160 meters.