Pilot Aborted Takeoff From High-Altitude Airport But Could Not Stop The Plane

The pilot of a ski-equipped Jodel airplane reportedly lost control of the aircraft while attempting a high-altitude takeoff in the French Alps, striking a woman skiing at a resort.

Yahoo News reports that the pilot, who local public prosecutor Patrick Steinmetz described as a "professional who is used to these kind of conditions," was unable to take off from a snow-covered high-altitude airport and slid down the mountain into a ski area. The plane passed under a chair lift, narrowly avoiding several children, but it did hit a 55-year-old woman, and the impact of the propeller nearly severed her hand, according to a report from the French news service AFP.

The pilot and one passenger had made a stopover at Avoriaz, which is near the French border with Switzerland, and were departing when the accident occurred.

The woman was stabilized at the resort and then airlifted to a local hospital.

(Image captured from YouTube video posted by Breaking News 2015)

FMI: www.bea.aero/en