German family on board the plane that crashed in the Baltic Sea – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

Around 19.45 on Sunday evening, the private plane crashed in the Baltic Sea, and according to air rescue manager Lars Antonsson, there is very little chance of finding any survivors.

On board the plane was the 72-year-old German entrepreneur Peter Griesemann. This is confirmed by friends of the family to the German newspaper Express.

His wife Juliane (68) was also on board with their 26-year-old daughter Lisa.

Griesmann is described as a passionate pilot, and it was he who allegedly flew the private plane when it crashed.

In addition, a 27-year-old man was on board, but it is not known what relationship he had with the family, writes the Spanish newspaper El Pais.

The family took off from Jerez in Spain on Sunday morning, and were to land in Cologne in Germany.

Owned a private airline

Griesmann owned the airline company Quick Air, which specializes in small private flights.

He was also chairman of the Cologne carnival Blauen Funken and chairman of the building association Sachsenturm.

The carnival committee is shocked by the death.

– I am shocked by the sudden death of Peter Griesemann, his wife and daughter. My deepest condolences go to the family, says current president Chris Kuckelkorn to the German online newspaper Report-K.

– Peter not only had expertise and entrepreneurial spirit, he also had a big heart for people. We have lost a valuable advisor and a loyal friend, he said.

Can be difficult

Finding out exactly what has happened can be difficult, according to SVT.

Much depends on whether the aircraft can be salvaged or not.

– There is probably no black box in this case, says flight journalist Jan Olsson to the Swedish TV channel.

In larger passenger aircraft, it is common to have a so-called “black box”. It contains information about things that happen to the aircraft while it is in the air, as well as recording sound from the cockpit.

Found new wreckage parts

The news agency Reuters reports that the plane lost speed and altitude from 17:37 onwards. The plane turned over twice, both over Paris and Cologne.

Data from the website Flightradar shows that in the minutes before 19.45 the plane lost altitude at a rapid pace. It disappeared from Flightradar just before 8 p.m.

According to Flightradar, the plane was just west of Ventspils in Latvia when it crashed. Then it probably flew on autopilot until it ran out of fuel, writes NTB.

A helicopter from the Lithuanian Air Force and several boats from the Latvian Navy carried out search and rescue work throughout the night.

– Last night there were two helicopters searching, one from Latvia and one from Sweden. They found nothing, but this morning they found a small part that we believe belongs to the plane, says Liva Veita from the Latvian Navy to Aftonbladet.

The piece of wreckage has been sent to experts who will see what it is and whether it belongs to the plane.

The aircraft is registered in Austria, and is of the type Cessna 551. It has a length of around 14 meters and a wingspan of approximately 15 metres.

There is room for up to ten passengers.

Message about a pressure problem in the cabin

Shortly after the plane took off, there were reports of pressure problems in the cabin. When the plane flew over France, all contact should have been broken, according to Bild.

Aviation safety expert Hans Kjäll tells TT that it is probably a drop in pressure that has led to the accident.

– At the height at which even these small planes are located, little is needed. You become unconscious in 30 seconds, he says.

Both a German and a Danish fighter plane from NATO’s Amari air base in Estonia tried to make contact with the plane before it crashed, Reuters and Aftonbladet write. It was Swedish rescue teams who were first at the scene of the accident.