Cessna 551 Baltic Sea Crash: What We Know So Far

A privately owned Cessna 551 crashed into the Baltic Sea yesterday evening after flying from Jerez, Spain. The aircraft was supposed to land in Cologne, Germany, but continued flying until it reached Latvia's coast.

The light corporate jet, registered in Vienna, was owned by German businessman Peter Griesemann. He was on board, taking off at 12:57 UTC. Registration OE-FGR then turned twice, at Paris and Cologne, before flying over the Baltic.

The Cessna's altitude began significantly dropping from over 35,000 ft at around 17:31 UTC, west of the Swedish island of Gotland. The tracking then stopped at 2,100 ft at 17:44 UTC.

This crash follows a series of incidents involving private jets this year, including three separate Cessna accidents in the Comoros, Iceland, and Peru in February. Cessna has long been a general aviation powerhouse, producing small aircraft for business and private use for nearly a century.

NATO pilots and Swedish personnel initially tracked the plane and saw no one was in the cockpit. A fighter plane from the NATO Baltic Air Police mission in Estonia's Amari Air Base was utilized to follow the aircraft.

Latvian naval ships were then sent, and a coastguard vessel arrived at the crash site, along with a Latvian border guards helicopter. Air charter outfit Quick Air has shared that three others were on board with Griesemann. German newspaper Bild has reported that Griesemann's wife Juliane, their daughter Lisa, and a family friend were the other occupants.

Sweden's rescue service said that the plane disappeared from radar and that it learned it had crashed northwest of Ventspils, Latvia. The Latvian maritime search and rescue service (MRCC) told the BBC that it believes it found three parts of the plane. It also confirmed that oil had been spotted.

Griesemann's family is based in Cologne, while he owns a holiday home in southwest Spain. He was a driving force of the famous Cologne Carnival.

Cologne Carnival shares the following tribute to Griesemann on Facebook:

“The Cologne Carnival mourns the loss of Peter Griesemann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee and Honorary President of the Blaue Funken. As an entrepreneur and carnival participant, he made a significant contribution to shaping this Cologne tradition for decades. Griesemann led "his" traditional corps into a new era, and since 2017 he has also been actively supporting the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee and helping to further develop the carnival.”

The page concluded Griesemann’s heart had beat for the carnival and the people it connects. It also wished strength for his loved ones during this difficult time.

Our thoughts are with the family of those that were on board the aircraft.

Source: BBC; Reuters