Criminal Investigation into Crossair crash

The Swiss Federal Prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday it had opened a criminal investigation into a November 2001 Crossair airline crash which killed 24 people and was partially blamed on pilot error.
Current flag-carrier Swiss defended its predecessor Crossair’s safety procedures.
The plane operated by Crossair — one of the forerunners of Switzerland’s troubled national carrier — crashed into a snow-covered hillside near Zurich Airport and burst into flames, killing 24 people, including the pilot.
A report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said the pilot had been tired and the crew had not cooperated correctly. However, it also said managers at Crossair had failed to act on “weaknesses” in the pilot’s previous flying career.
Swiss International Air Lines’ CEO Andre Dose was the head of Crossair at the time of the crash.
“Over a long period of time, the responsible persons of the airline did not make correct assessments of the commander’s flying performance,” the report said.
A spokesman for the Federal Prosecutor’s Office said it had launched a criminal investigation on the basis of the report, without naming a specific target, on suspicion of negligent homicide and grievous bodily harm by negligence.
But the cash-strapped airline Swiss — formed in a national bailout from the ruins of its predecessors Swissair and Crossair — said on Tuesday Crossair and Swissair always followed international and national safety measures.
Swiss had adopted a “best practice” standard since the accident, Dose told reporters. “In terms of safety, Swiss makes no compromises,” he said.