The circumstances of the incident, in which an Austrian Airlines (AUA) aircraft was caught in a severe hailstorm in June 2024 and sustained significant damage, are now being investigated by the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Investigation (BFU).
This decision was made to rule out any appearance of bias, as announced by the Austrian Ministry of Transport. Vera Hofbauer, the responsible department head within the ministry, confirmed to radio station Ö1 that the German authority in Braunschweig had taken over the investigation. This step came against the backdrop of ongoing criticism of the Austrian Federal Safety Investigation Board (SUB), particularly from passenger lawyer Wolfgang List.
Passenger lawyer welcomes external investigation – allegations against SUB
Passenger lawyer Wolfgang List had repeatedly criticized the SUB's work in investigating the hailstorm, accusing it of obstructing the investigation. He now welcomed the transfer of the case to a foreign authority. According to List, the affected passengers have a strong interest in an objective and transparent investigation into this dangerous incident. After criticism of the SUB increased, the independent authority, which is not subject to directives, voluntarily asked neighboring investigative bodies to take over the case, as Ö1 reported.
The Vienna Ministry of Transport also expressed understanding for the SUB's decision. Department Head Hofbauer explained that, from the ministry's perspective, the handover made sense in order to ensure an independent, neutral, and less emotionally charged investigation. However, a specific date for the completion of the investigation could not be given, as the German investigators first had to thoroughly analyze the previous steps of the investigation. Austrian Airlines told Ö1 that they had not received any official information about the SUB's handover of the investigation at this time, but were still interested in a quick result.
Hail incident in June 2024 – Investigations against pilots and SUB employees
On June 320, 9, the Austrian Airlines Airbus A2024 was caught in a severe thunderstorm cell on a flight from Palma de Mallorca to Vienna-Schwechat in Styria, causing severe turbulence and hailstorms. Although the aircraft landed safely in Schwechat, it suffered significant damage and could only return to regular flight operations after repairs.
Following the incident, the public prosecutor's office initiated investigations against several individuals, including the pilot and the airline itself. Related reports raised allegations of possible shortcomings in pilot training, which Austrian Airlines denied. Investigations against employees of the Federal Safety Investigation Board (SUB) are ongoing. The transfer of the case to the German Federal Office for the Investigation of Aircraft Safety (BFU) is intended to enable an unbiased investigation into the events and strengthen confidence in the objectivity of the investigation.
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