Two dead, two critically injured after single-engine Piper crashes in mountainous Austrian forest near Gaming

Crash and casualties

A viersitzigen Piper A-28 crashed late morning on 12 July 2026 in a densely forested, steep area near Gaming in Lower Austria. On board were four people. The 47-year-old pilot and a 47-year-old female passenger died at the scene, police confirmed. A 15-year-old girl and a 41-year-old man survived but sustained severe injuries and were flown to hospitals by helicopter.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing unusual sounds before the crash.

Rescue effort

Nearly 100 emergency responders and two helicopters were deployed to the crash site, which lay in terrain with no mobile-phone coverage. Rescuers had to communicate solely by radio. A firefighter happened to see the plane go down, immediately alerted the control centre, and tried to reach the wreckage on foot. Crews used chainsaws to cut a path through the woods and built a makeshift bridge over a stream to access the wreckage on a steep slope. The injured survivors were recovered with ropes and hoisted to the helicopters.

Flight details

The single-engine aircraft, a Piper A-28, had taken off from Seitenstetten airfield about 40 km from the crash location. It was a four-seater. The flight route and the purpose of the flight have not yet been disclosed by authorities.

Investigation begins

Criminal police officers and federal flight-accident experts have opened an investigation into the cause of the crash. No official statement on possible factors has been made so far. Weather conditions at the time of the accident have not been specified. The site remains cordoned off for examination.