Swiss Air Force Jet Goes Missing, Believed Crashed

MEP: A Swiss army fighter jet has gone missing over the Alps Monday and is believed to have crashed, the jet had been flying over the Susten Pass in central Switzerland when it disappeared, the defence ministry said, adding that a large-scale search and rescue operation had been launched.

The suspected accident site in the mountainous Alpine region was difficult to access, with bad weather and darkness hampering the search efforts, it further added.

Earlier this year a Swiss F-5E air demonstration fighter jet collided with another plane and crashed into a pond in the northern Netherlands ahead of an air show.

The F/A-18 C single-seater had been taking part in a training exercise with a second plane when all radio contact with the pilot was suddenly cut at 4:05 pm (1405 GMT), according to the ministry.

“Since then, he has been declared missing,” it noted.

Search measures are underway between Meiringen, canton Bern, and Andermatt, canton Uri, according to the Federal Department of Defence. Current weather conditions are preventing search efforts via helicopter, so the search and rescue parties are on foot. Both the aircraft and the ejector seat are equipped with transmitters, which should help focus the search efforts.