Investigators are searching for clues that may determine why a Swiss airliner crashed last week just short of its final destination outside of Zurich. Authorities report that the flight recorders have been found in the airliner's wreckage. Twenty-four people died in the accident. Only nine survived.
The four-engine Crossair Jumbolino Avro RJ-100 crashed a few kilometers short of the runway late Saturday night. The flight originated in Berlin. The nighttime landing strip opened only a month ago. Pilots report that the approach to the new strip is much more difficult than other similar airports. Rain and snow were reportedly falling at the time of the crash and visibility was at a minimum.
Both the pilot, who was reported to be "very experienced," and copilot were killed. This is the second crash in two years involving Crossair, a subsidiary of Swissair.