Boy, 14, crashed plane, killing himself and two others on board after pilot let him take the controls as they flew over Switzerland, investigation finds
- Adult pilot and two 14-year-old boys died when plane crashed in Switzerland
- Girl, 17, was also seriously hurt in the tragedy which happened in 2017
- Investigators say pilot chose a risky flight path then handed controls to boy
- Teens taking part in flying club camp, but were not supposed to control planes
Two 14-year-old boys and their adult pilot died in a plane crash after the man let one of the teens take the controls.
Swiss investigators say the pilot picked a risky flight path before making the decision to hand the controls to one of the boys, ultimately causing the crash.
A 17-year-old girl was seriously hurt when the Piper PA-28 came down in southeastern Switzerland in 2017.
Two 14-year-old boys and a pilot were killed the 2017 crash, and a 17-year-old girl was injured
Investigators say the pilot, who was not a trained instructor, chose a risky flight path then handed control of the aircraft over to one of the boys before it crashed
The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board said in a report Friday the pilot had chosen a risky flight course.
In addition, it said that ‘the pilot’s risky decision to hand the controls to the passenger (was) a direct contributing factor to the accident.’
It added that he hadn’t trained as a flight instructor.
The crash happened around 10 minutes after takeoff. The teens were taking part in a flying club’s annual camp
The report said the club didn’t intend passengers to take the controls.