2022 Baltic Sea Cessna Citation crash
On 4 September 2022, a chartered Cessna 551 business jet registered in Austria was scheduled to fly from Jerez, Spain to Cologne, Germany. Early in the flight, after takeoff, the aircraft's pilot notified air traffic control about a cabin pressure malfunction. After the aircraft passed the Iberian Peninsula, no further contact could be established.
A Cessna 551 Citation II/SP, similar to the aircraft involved in the crash | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 4 September 2022 17:31 (GMT) |
| Summary | Crashed into the sea; under investigation |
| Site | Baltic Sea near Gotland, Sweden, Ventspils Latvia approx. 37 km (23 mi; 20 nmi) off shoreline of Ventspils, Latvia 57°39′54″N 21°5′38.4″E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 551 Citation II/SP |
| Operator | GG Rent GmbH |
| Registration | OE-FGR (OEFGR) / 440A99 |
| Flight origin | Jerez-La Parra Airport (XRY/LEJR), Spain 12:56 (GMT) |
| Destination | Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN/EDDK), Germany ~15:50 (GMT) |
| Passengers | 3 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 4 |
| Survivors | 0 |
The aircraft involved in this accident, registered as OE-FGR, was first flown in 1979. The aircraft, which climbed to its assigned altitude at 36,000 feet (11,000 m), slightly turned near Paris and Cologne, where it failed to make a landing, and continued straight on its northeastern course, flying over Germany and then out for almost two hours and 1,120 kilometres (700 mi; 600 nmi) over the Baltic Sea near Denmark and Sweden. Fuel was eventually exhausted when the aircraft was over the Baltic Sea, approximately 37 kilometres (23 mi; 20 nmi) off Ventspils, Latvia, and crashed into the water in a spiral dive after an uncontrolled descent.
According to news reports, contact with OE-FGR was lost shortly after takeoff from Jerez. According to the Flight Management System, the autopilot brought the aircraft up to 36,000 feet (11,000 m) and continued the journey via Poitiers, Paris, Luxembourg, and on to Euskirchen. In Euskirchen, the pilot apparently had planned to take over for final approach into Cologne (15:50 UTC). Since the pilot was apparently unconscious, the plane continued in a straight line for the next 1 hour 41 minutes (17:36 UTC) on a course of 54 degrees. The Cessna then started descending and turning to the right on a course of 116 degrees, seemingly headed for an approach at Ventspils International Airport. It is probable that instead the right engine failed and a change of course was initiated. About 3 minutes later (17:39 UTC), the left engine also failed, as OE-FGR continued to fly straight forward at 116 degrees before starting to lose speed and altitude (17:40 UTC), eventually crashing (17:42 UTC) in the Baltic Sea.