WARSAW, May 12 (RIA Novosti) - A German couple was injured when their four-seat light plane crashed into a hotel in the north of the Czech Republic on Saturday, the CTK news agency said.
"The aircraft crashed into one hotel room from the northern side… There was a mourning ceremony in hotel's southern part, but nothing occurred to anyone. The hotel was almost empty as the season has not yet started," said Jiri Vancl, the mayor of the town of Prostredni Lanov, where the incident occurred.
He said the aircraft’s pilot was “experienced,” but the hotel is situated outside the airport's horizon and can cause problems to the pilots who are unfamiliar with the local terrain.
Jiri Sochor, a local aviation expert, said the plane failed to reach the required takeoff altitude, fell to the ground and drove on until it crashed into the hotel.
"Luckily, the aircraft did not have the required flight speed. Or else, the accident would have been more serious," he said.
The German couple onboard the plane - a 76-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman - were taken to hospital in a serious, but stable condition.
"None of them are unconscious, they have injured chests, but their lives are not in peril," said Zdenek Tusl, an employee of the local hospital where the injured are being treated.
The damage is estimated at around 250,000 crowns (about $12,600).
