Gaming, Austria: The aircraft came down in a difficult-to-access area near Gaming, prompting a large-scale emergency response involving the police, fire brigade, ambulance services and two rescue helicopters. Rescue teams had to navigate rugged terrain to reach the wreckage.
The single-engine aircraft The Piper PA-28 took off from Seitenstetten Airport, located about 40 kilometers from the scene of the accident. Shortly before noon, the machine lost altitude and fell into a densely forested and rocky area in the municipality of Gaming, near Mount Yocher (nearly 1900 meters above sea level).
Authorities confirmed that all four occupants were on board when the aircraft crashed. The 47-year-old pilot and a woman of the same age died at the scene. A 15-year-old girl and a 41-year-old man were rescued from the wreckage with serious injuries.
They were pulled from the rocky terrain with ropes and transported by helicopter to an ambulance. One of the injured was airlifted by rescue helicopter to a hospital in Linz, while emergency responders transported the second survivor for medical treatment. Officials have not released further updates on their conditions.
According to preliminary, unconfirmed eyewitness accounts, the aircraft’s engine emitted an unusual noise before the crash, suggesting a possible technical malfunction. The prosecutor’s office has ordered a routine autopsy on the pilot as part of the investigation, while the wreckage is expected to be recovered from the mountainside using a specialized helicopter.
Investigators have begun examining the wreckage, but the cause of the crash remains unknown. Gaming, a rural municipality in Lower Austria located near the Ötscher mountain region, is known for its heavily wooded and mountainous terrain, which complicated rescue efforts following the crash.
The investigation is expected to continue as Austrian authorities work to identify the victims and establish the circumstances surrounding the accident.
