Emergency surgery saves 80-year-old pilot after Krimml crash

An emergency operation saved an 80-year-old pilot who was seriously injured in a take-off crash in Krimml, ORF reports. He is recovering and is expected to leave hospital soon for rehabilitation.

Alfred Kroissenbrunner, from Zell am See, was taking off from a meadow on October 4 when his aircraft grazed several parked planes before crashing into one. The accident happened on the final day of the annual mountain pilots’ gathering in Krimml, a municipality in the Oberpinzgau. Four light aircraft on the ground were damaged, and no one was inside them.

The impact against the aircraft’s control stick caused severe internal injuries. Surgeons at Schwarzach Hospital performed emergency surgery, removing part of Kroissenbrunner’s stomach and colon and repairing several tears in his diaphragm. The hospital’s chief surgeon said Kroissenbrunner was fit and had substantial muscle mass, despite his age.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Salzburg prosecutors have appointed an aircraft expert. Kroissenbrunner suspects a faulty brake cylinder; he said he had flown the aircraft for more than 50 years and had it serviced two weeks before the crash. The nearly 70-year-old Cessna may not be repairable, but he says he wants to fly again.