The aircraft and its two pilots belonged to the Volunteer Air Corps (FFK) and participated on Friday afternoon in an exercise on behalf of the navy. In addition to the pilots, there was no one else on the plane.
At 4 pm, a private person saw the plane go down in the lake. Among other things, the rescue service, police, and Sea Rescue were alerted, and after an extensive effort, the pilots were found inside the plane by the rescue service's divers.
Their lives could not be saved.
We are a bit shocked, all of us, says Per Winberg, the county chief of the Volunteer Air Corps.
"Call each other"
On Saturday morning, just over a day after the accident, he is on his way back to the scene of the accident. He will meet representatives from the Accident Investigation Commission. Then a group of Volunteer Air Corps pilots will meet to, as he says, continue the conversation from last night.
The last thing we said last night was: Call each other, anytime.
Exactly what went wrong is unclear. The police have guarded the scene of the accident during the night, and a preliminary investigation into negligence in air traffic has been initiated.
On Saturday, preparations are underway for the plane's salvage. The Accident Investigation Commission, which is also investigating the matter, is on site to investigate how it can be done safely.
We will probably make a decision on when it will be salvaged during the afternoon, says Peter Swaffer, responsible investigator.
Not afraid
The pilots, two men in their 70s and 80s, are described as very experienced. They were very involved in the FFK, including the corps' youth activities.
Two gentlemen, says Per Winberg.
At least one of them had many thousands of hours of experience.
The aircraft is a single-engine plane of the Mooney type and belonged to one of the pilots. According to Winberg, there is a pronounced safety thinking in the air corps - one does not take it easy. There are also established guidelines for how an accident of this kind should be handled.
Winberg points out that the corps has been spared from accidents with this outcome.
There is an awareness in the group that there are risks associated with what we are doing, he says and continues:
But afraid? No, I don't think so. I think most people are looking forward to getting up and flying in the near future.
