Heatwave could have caused crash of vintage plane in Swiss Alps that killed 20

A record heatwave across Europe that sent temperatures in Switzerland as high as 34 degrees Celsius may have caused the crash of a vintage propeller plane that slammed into the side of a Swiss mountain Saturday, killing all 20 on-board.

The plane went straight down, crashing almost vertically into the western flank of the Piz Segnas mountain at about 5pm local time Saturday. It crashed at high speed, officials said.

Photos released by state police in the area showed the crumpled wreckage of the plane, with only the tail, twisted over and upside down, still somewhat intact.

Police said those killed included 14 Swiss, a three-member family from Austria and three Swiss crew members. The passengers were 42 to 84 years old, authorities said.

The 1939 Junkers Ju-52, of a type nicknamed Iron Annie, was returning from the resort town of Locarno in southern Switzerland.

The plane was about 50 minutes into its flight when it crashed. Authorities said no emergency call was made in the moments before the plunge.

“High temperatures can affect the performance of an aircraft,” Daniel Knecht from the Swiss safety investigation agency said in a press conference held Sunday near the crash site in the Alpine resort of Flims, Switzerland.