The Junkers Ju 52 tri-motors operated by the Swiss company Ju Air were a long-established classic aircraft tradition. Created in 1984, Ju Air flew thousands of enthusiasts on sightseeing flights and took part in aviation events, even far away as Oshkosh 2012 where Ju 52 HB-HOT was put on display and sponsored by Rimowa. Sadly, everything changed with the tragic crash of HB-HOT on 4 August 2018 in the Swiss Alps, where it impacted nose-down with the crew of two and 18 passengers, all being killed. The investigation into the disaster noted "the plane fell to the ground like a stone." Numerous areas of cracks and corrosion were discovered when examining the wreckage but these, according to the investigation, did not lead to the crash. However, the two surviving tri-motors, HB-HOP and HB-HOS, were grounded. New rules for historic airplanes transporting passengers were issued by the Swiss Federal Council in 2022 and these rules limit the number of passengers in historic aircraft to six with two pilots and a flight attendant, while commercial vintage flights were also banned.
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