Swiss International Air Lines Flight 1885

2024 aviation accident at Graz Airport, Austria

Swiss International Air Lines Flight 1885
Accident
HB-JCD, the aircraft involved in the accident, on 28 July 2024
Date	23 December 2024 (2024-12-23)
Summary	Smoke in cabin after engine failure due to previously unknown fault pattern
Site	Styria, Austria 46°59′35″N 015°26′21″E / 46.99306°N 15.43917°E / 46.99306; 15.43917
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Airbus A220-300
Operator	Swiss International Air Lines
IATA flight No.	LX1885
ICAO flight No.	SWR2SE
Call sign	SWISS TWO SIERRA ECHO
Registration	HB-JCD
Flight origin	Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport, Bucharest, Romania
Destination	Zurich Airport, Zurich, Switzerland
Occupants	79
Passengers	74
Crew	5
Fatalities	1
Injuries	21
Survivors	78

Swiss International Air Lines Flight 1885 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Swiss International Air Lines from Bucharest Airport in Bucharest, Romania, to Zurich Airport in Zurich, Switzerland. On 23 December 2024, the Airbus A220-300 experienced an engine failure at FL400, leading to smoke entering the cabin. An emergency landing was performed at Graz Airport, Austria, and all 79 occupants were evacuated via emergency slides. One crew member was airlifted to a hospital in Graz and died on 30 December 2024, a week after the accident. This was the first fatal accident involving Swiss or the Airbus A220.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was an Airbus A220-300, manufactured in 2017, and registered as HB-JCD. It was powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW1524G-3 engines.

Accident

The aircraft had an engine failure at FL400 en route to Zurich, which led to smoke entering the cabin. The flight was forced to divert to Graz Airport. At 16:33 UTC, the flight emergency landed at Graz, and all 79 passengers and crew members were evacuated using the emergency slides. Twelve passengers and five crew members received medical attention. Two cabin crew members were still in the hospital by 27 December, and on 30 December, a week after the accident, the airline announced that one of the crew members had died. Twenty-one other passengers and crew members received non-fatal injuries as a result of the accident.

Flight LX 1885
B Bucharest
G Graz
Z Zurich

Aftermath

The accident marked the first fatal accident in the history of Swiss International Air Lines since its foundation in 2002, and the first fatal accident involving the Airbus A220 family since its introduction in 2016.

Investigation

An engine failure due to a previously unknown fault pattern was flagged during initial investigations.

The crew's protective breathing equipment (PBE) was also under investigation. Because of handling and performance issues Swiss had started a replacement programme in October 2023 which was expected to finish in the first quarter of 2025.

References

^ Eiselin, Stefan (31 December 2024). "Investigations flag 'previously unknown fault' following Swiss PW1500G engine failure". Flight Global. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
^ Ranter, Harro. "Accident Airbus A220-300 HB-JCD, Monday 23 December 2024". asn.flightsafety.org. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
^ "Landing of LX1885 in Graz" (Press release). Swiss International Air Lines. 24 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024 – via The NewsMarket.
^ Rosser, Angela (30 December 2024). "Nach Notlandung in Graz: Swiss-Flugbegleiter weiter in kritischem Zustand" [After emergency landing in Graz: Swiss flight attendant still in critical condition]. Blick (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 31 December 2024.
^ Hradecky, Simon (31 December 2024). "Accident: Swiss BCS3 near Graz on Dec 23rd 2024, uncontained engine failure, smoke on board". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
Schelling, Jürgen (27 December 2024). "Triebwerkproblem an der Swiss-Maschine führte zur Notlandung" [Engine problem on the Swiss plane led to emergency landing]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in Swiss High German). ISSN 0376-6829. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
Hunziker, Malin (31 December 2024). "Jetzt untersuchen österreichische Ermittler die verhängnisvolle Swiss-Notlandung in Graz: Welche Rolle spielten Triebwerke und Schutzmasken?" [Now Austrian investigators are investigating the fateful Swiss emergency landing in Graz: What role did engines and protective masks play?]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in Swiss High German). ISSN 0376-6829. Retrieved 3 January 2025.

External links

Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network

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