The aircraft which crashed into Baltic Sea on September 4 after flying through half of Europe without responding to dispatcher hails or fighter jet escorts, belonged to a prominent German businessman from Cologne ̶ Karl-Peter Griesemann. Griesemann's company, air charter firm Quick Air, confirmed that its owner was flying his private plane, a Cessna 551, and was carrying three unspecified passengers.
German newspaper Express earlier claimed that Griesemann was flying with his wife, daughter and her boyfriend, but this information is yet to be confirmed.
The cause of the incident remains unknown. Dispatchers lost connection with the plane's pilot – Griesemann himself – when it was flying above Toldedo, Spain, around an hour after takeoff in Jerez. The plane did two turns near Paris and Cologne, where it was supposed to land, and continued to fly in a straight line before crashing into the Baltic Sea – presumably after running out of fuel.
Germany’s Bild newspaper claimed that the pilot reported a cabin pressure issue not long before cutting communications, but this information has not been backed by officials so far. The failure of pressurizing mechanisms on a plane can result in all of its passengers falling unconscious due to a lack of oxygen in the upper levels of the atmosphere.
France, Germany and Denmark scrambled jets in the air in attempts to force the unresponsive aircraft to land. The German and Danish pilots said that they could not see anyone inside, including in the cockpit, when they approached the plane. Their attempts to make contact were unsuccessful.
The search and rescue team allocated by Latvia – the closest country to the suspected crash site – found an oily spot and a concentration of wreckage. However, no bodies or survivors have been found so far.