The aircraft had an engine failure at FL400 (40,000 feet [12,192m]) en route to Zurich, which led to smoke entering the cabin. The flight was forced to divert to Graz Airport.[2] At 16:33 UTC, the flight emergency landed at Graz, and all 79 passengers and crew members were evacuated using the emergency slides.[2] Twelve passengers and five crew members received medical attention.[3] Two cabin crew members were still in the hospital by 27 December, and on 30 December, a week after the accident, the airline announced that one of the crew members had died.[2]
Flight LX 1885 B Bucharest G Graz Z Zurich
Aftermath
The accident marked the first fatal accident in the history of Swiss International Air Lines since its foundation in 2002, and the first fatal accident involving the Airbus A220 family since its introduction in 2016.[3][4][5]
Investigation
An engine failure due to a previously unknown fault pattern was flagged during initial investigations.[1] The left engine's main shaft was found fractured.[5] The crew's protective breathing equipment (PBE) was also under investigation. Because of handling and performance issues Swiss had started a replacement programme in October 2023 which was expected to finish in the first quarter of 2025.[7]
The investigation faces scrutiny over the handling of the case by the Austrian Federal Safety Investigation Authority (SUB). Key concerns include a seven-day delay in notifying international bodies of the incident as an "accident," despite the subsequent death of a crew member from oxygen deprivation, potentially linked to faulty breathing equipment (PBE).[8]
A criminal complaint, filed on behalf of ten passengers of a previous, unrelated Austrian Airlines flight that encountered severe hail, alleges a pattern of behavior from the SUB. This filing claimed the SUB initially attempted to classify the Swiss incident as a minor "disturbance". Further allegations claimed improper handling of the potentially faulty PBE masks. The masks were reportedly transported in an "unidentified garbage bag" by airport staff at the SUB investigator's request and left unattended, raising concerns about evidence preservation. The Graz prosecutor's office is investigating potential charges of involuntary manslaughter and bodily harm related to the Swiss incident. The aforementioned complaint also alleged that the SUB had a history of downplaying incidents, citing the Austrian Airlines case where flight recorder data was allegedly not secured following a hailstorm encounter. The SUB denied the claims.[8]
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