Nine people were killed when their plane plummeted out of the sky during a skydiving trip in northern Sweden, authorities said on Sunday.

The single-engine plane, a GippsAero GA8 Airvan which is popular with parachutists and ordinarily seats eight people including the pilot, crashed on an island on the Ume river shortly after take-off from Umea airport.

The accident took place a little after 2 pm local time on Storsandskar island.

Shocking footage shows the moment the out-of-control plane plummeted out of the sky above rows of trees.

Swedish media quoted witnesses reporting that some of the parachutists were seen trying to jump off the plane just before the crash.

The police said that all the victims were Swedish, with one person holding dual citizenship. The names of the victims were not been disclosed.

'I can confirm that all those aboard the plane have died,' Region Vasterbotten municipality spokeswoman Gabriella Bandling said.

One witness told Swedish broadcaster SVT she heard a loud noise from above before she saw the plane going straight down and crashing into the island.

'In view of today's tragic air crash outside Umea, which took nine people's lives, I want to convey my condolences.

'My family and I send our thoughts to their families and relatives,' he said on Facebook.

Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said the government was in close contact with the relevant authorities as they investigate the cause of the crash.

He sent condolences to the families of the victims and said the government would stay in close touch with officials probing the crash 'as it is important to investigate the cause'. </s> Nine people died on Sunday when a plane carrying them for a parachute jump crashed in northern Sweden soon after taking off.

The GippsAero GA8 Airvan, a single engine plane popular with skydivers, crashed shortly after 14:00 (12:00 GMT), having left Umea airport.

The plane crashed on an island on the Ume river, a police spokesman said.

All those on board were Swedish, police added.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Swedish media quoted witnesses as saying some of the parachutists were seen trying to jump off the plane just before it crashed.

“I heard a weird sound, which didn’t sound normal. I looked up and saw a plane spinning like a top,” witness Peter Larsson told the daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

“At first, I thought it was an acrobatic flight, but we quickly realised that something was wrong,” he said.

Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf expressed his condolences in a statement published on Facebook.

He said: “In view of today’s tragic air crash outside Umea, which took nine people’s lives, I want to convey my condolences.” </s> Reports say witnesses saw parachutists try to jump clear of GippsAero GA8 Airvan as it plunged into islands

This article is more than 1 month old

This article is more than 1 month old

A small plane carrying parachutists crashed in northern Sweden soon after takeoff on Sunday and all nine people on board were killed, officials said.

The accident took place a little after 2pm local time on Storsandskar island. Swedish media quoted witnesses reporting that some of the parachutists were seen trying to jump off the plane just before the crash.

Swedish airport authority Swedavia said the crashed aircraft was a GippsAero GA8 Airvan, an Australian-made single-engine plane popular with parachutists, that took off from Umea airport. The cause of the crash was not yet known.

“I can confirm that all those aboard the plane have died,” said Vasterbotten municipality spokeswoman Gabriella Bandling.

One witness told Swedish broadcaster SVT she heard a loud noise from above before she saw the plane going straight down and crashing into the island.

The Swedish prime minister, Stefan Lofven, expressed “great sadness” over the accident in a statement to Swedish news agency TT. He sent condolences to the families of the victims and said the government would stay in close touch with officials probing the crash “as it is important to investigate the cause”. </s> Nine people are dead after a small plane carrying parachutists crashed into an island Sweden.

Witnesses watched in horror as the aircraft plummeted into the island outside the northern city of Umea, on Sweden's eastern coastline, killing all aboard.

One witness said he heard the strange sound and watched as the plane plummeted, nose-first toward the River Ume, then crashed out of sight with a loud 'bang'.

Axel Pettersson, 16, told Aftonbladet he was sitting on the couch at his home near Umea Airport eating when heard a sound from the skies becoming higher, and higher-pitched.

Did you witness the crash? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk

Axel said he is used to the sounds of the planes arriving and departing, but described the noise as like one he had never heard before.

He went outside and saw a plane circling.

He began filming, and seconds later captured the plane plummeting rapidly.

He said he heard it crash with a loud "bang" then everything went quiet.

Axel said his pulse rose and he barely breathed, thinking: "what the hell is happening now, what the hell is happening now, what do I do now".

He called for his parents who immediately alerted emergency services.



Authorities in Sweden said the plane had taken off from Umea Airport shortly after 1.30pm and sounded an alarm at 2.12pm.

Local police told Sweden's SVT reports of the crash came in about 2pm.

It crashed in the river near the island of Storsandskar, which is located about 2km from Umea airport.

A police spokesman said early reports suggested the plane had gone down in the river in an area south of the airport, on Storsandskar.

The aircraft was said to have been a single-engine and was carrying parachutists.

Witnesses living nearby the airport told Expressen they had heard a 'bang' and saw the plane dip.

Another witness said she saw the plane spin with its nose facing downwards before it plummeted.

"We are already on the scene with a rescue team which is assisting the ambulance and we have opened a location, together with aid organisations, to give psychological and social care," Conny Qvarfordt from the local rescue services told Sweden's TT newswire, reports Sweden's The Local.

"It's a parachute plane, and something seems to have happened just after take-off."

Umea Airport operator Swedavia, said the plane was a GippsAero GA8 Airvan, which is a single-engine eight-seater utility aircraft, similar to a Cessna.

The small plane designed to carry parachutists crashed on an island on the Ume river shortly after take off, police spokesman Peder Jonsson said.

He added the cause for the accident was unknown.

He said those on board were on a skydiving trip.

The region's main University Hospital of Umea confirmed there were no survivors and relatives of the deceased had been notified.

Neither Jonsson nor the hospital immediately identified the victims' names or nationalities. </s> Helsinki: Swedish officials said a small plane carrying parachutists crashed in northern Sweden soon after takeoff on Sunday and all nine people on board were killed.

The accident took place a little after 2pm local time on Storsandskar island. Swedish media quoted witnesses reporting that some of the parachutists were seen trying to jump off the plane just before the crash.

Swedish airport authority Swedavia said the crashed aircraft was a GippsAero GA8 Airvan, an Australian-made single-engine plane popular with parachutists, that took off from Umea Airport. The cause of the crash is not yet known.

"I can confirm that all those aboard the plane have died," Region Vasterbotten municipality spokeswoman Gabriella Bandling said. </s> (Bloomberg) -- Australia and New Zealand grounded Gippsland GA8 Airvan planes over safety concerns after a deadly crash in Sweden this month killed nine.

Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority halted operations of the planes made by Gippsaero Pty Ltd for 15 days from July 20, it said in a statement, adding it has sent an airworthiness engineer to Sweden to observe the crash investigation and collect relevant safety information. There are 63 GA8 aircraft registered in Australia out of a global fleet of 228, it said.

“CASA has been working closely with the Swedish and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency,” it said. “In response to CASA temporarily suspending GA8 operations in Australia, EASA has issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive to European GA8 aircraft owners and operators to not operate the aeroplane except for ferry flights.”

The fatal crash occurred near Umea in northern Sweden during a skydiving flight, CASA said. The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand said separately that information coming out of an initial probe showed the plane appeared to have suffered structural failure at 4,000 meters altitude.

The GA8 is mainly used in New Zealand on tourist flight-seeing operations, the N.Z. authority said, adding that 21 aircraft and 10 operators would be affected.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eduard Gismatullin in Hong Kong at egismatullin@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Subramaniam Sharma </s> HELSINKI -- Swedish officials said a small plane carrying parachutists crashed in northern Sweden soon after takeoff on Sunday and all nine people on board were killed.

The accident took place a little after 2 p.m. local time on Storsandskar island. Swedish media quoted witnesses reporting that some of the parachutists were seen trying to jump off the plane just before the crash.

Swedish airport authority Swedavia said the crashed aircraft was a GippsAero GA8 Airvan, an Australian-made single-engine plane popular with parachutists, that took off from Umea Airport. The cause of the crash is not yet known.

“I can confirm that all those aboard the plane have died,” Region Vasterbotten municipality spokeswoman Gabriella Bandling said.

One witness told Swedish broadcaster SVT she heard a loud noise from above before she saw the plane going straight down and crashing into the island.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven expressed “great sadness” over the accident in a statement to Swedish news agency TT.

He sent condolances to the families of the victims and said the government would stay in close touch with officials probing the crash “as it is important to investigate the cause”. </s> Australian-made GippsAero GA8 aircraft grounded after nine die in Sweden plane crash

Aviation authorities have grounded an Australian-made aircraft involved in a crash in Sweden in which nine people were killed.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has suspended operations of the GippsAero GA8 aircraft for 15 days as a precaution, as investigations continue into the cause of the crash near Umea in northern Sweden on July 14.

All nine people on the skydiving flight died in the crash.

"While we gather more information about that, we thought it was prudent to put them on the ground," CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said.

Swedish authorities have expressed concern that the aircraft may have broken up during the flight.

The GA8 is manufactured in Australia by GippsAero, which is based in the Latrobe Valley.

CASA said there were 228 of the planes in service globally, including 63 in Australia.

Spokesman Peter Gibson said the GA8 was first certified in 2000 and had not had a difficult safety history prior to the crash.

He said GippsAero held a production certificate issued by CASA to manufacture the GA8 and was subject to regular surveillance and safety checks by the authority.

The GA8 is a single-engine high-wing aeroplane with fixed tricycle landing gear.

It is used in Australia for a range of purposes, including charter flights and skydiving.

CASA has written to all Australian operators of GA8 aircraft, advising them of the suspension.

It has also written to all national aviation authorities who have GA8 aircraft operating in their jurisdictions.

In response to CASA's suspension, the European Union Aviation Safety Authority has issued an emergency airworthiness directive to European GA8 aircraft owners and operators to not fly the aeroplane except for ferry flights — for example, to return the aircraft to base.

CASA has sent an airworthiness engineer to Sweden to observe the accident investigation. </s> Victorian-made aeroplanes have been grounded after a fatal crash in Sweden left nine people dead.

Operations of the GippsAero GA8 plane have been suspended for 15 days, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority announced on Saturday.

It comes after the same model of plane crashed during a skydiving flight near Umea in northern Sweden on July 14.

"CASA has temporarily suspended GA8 operations as a precautionary step pending the outcome of further investigation by Swedish and European authorities," the authority said in a statement.

The European Union's aviation safety agency has issued an order to GA8 aircraft owners and operators across the EU not to operate the plane except for ferry flights.

The temporary suspension will last up to 15 days from midnight on July 20 and affects all GA8 aircraft in Australia and all Australian-registered GA8 planes overseas.

The single engine, high wing aeroplane with fixed tricycle landing gear is made in the Latrobe Valley by GippsAero. </s> This article is more than 1 month old

This article is more than 1 month old

Sixty-three Victorian-made planes have been grounded in Australia after a fatal crash in Sweden that killed nine people.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has suspended operations of GippsAero GA8 aircraft after the accident in Umeo on 14 July. No one on board survived the crash.

The GA8 is manufactured in Australia by GippsAero, which is based in the Latrobe Valley.

CASA said in a statement it had temporarily suspended all flights pending the outcome of an investigation by Swedish and European authorities.

The suspension will be for up to 15 days from 20 July to midnight 3 August and affects all GA8 aircraft operating in Australia and all Australian-registered GA8 aircraft operating overseas. There are 63 GA8 aircraft registered in Australia out of a worldwide fleet of 228.

The GA8 is a single-engine high-wing aeroplane with fixed tricycle landing gear. In Australia, the GA8 is used in a range of operations including charter, aerial work and parachuting.

“CASA has written to all Australian operators of GA8 aircraft advising them of the temporary suspension and reminding them of their obligation to comply with all applicable GA8 airworthiness directives issued by CASA,” a spokesman said.

“CASA has also written to all national aviation authorities who have GA8 aircraft operating in their jurisdiction advising them that CASA has imposed a 15-day temporary operating suspension on these aircraft.”

CASA said the authority had been working closely with Sweden and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

It said in response to the temporary suspension of GA8 operations in Australia, EASA had issued an emergency airworthiness directive to European GA8 aircraft owners and operators to not operate the aeroplane except for ferry flights.

CASA has also sent an airworthiness engineer to Sweden to observe the accident investigation and collect safety information.

The authority said GippsAero held a production certificate issued by CASA to manufacture the GA8 and the company was subject to regular surveillance and safety checks by CASA.

The aircraft type was certified in 2000 by CASA for normal operations, which includes skydiving.
A GippsAero GA8 Airvan sky diving operation plane crashes on an island outside Umeå, Sweden, killing all nine people onboard.