Private plane departing from the Netherlands crashes in a field in Germany, killing all three people on board

A Cessna 172 crashed on Monday morning in Gerderath, in western Germany, killing the three people on board.

The incident occurred at around 11:15 a.m. local time in a rural area north of Gerderath, near a wooded area south of Mönchengladbach.

The crash completely destroyed the aircraft, but no fire broke out. Numerous emergency personnel were deployed at the scene, including firefighters, emergency teams, police and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief.

After searching the area, rescue teams found the bodies of all three people. The identities of the victims have not yet been made public by the authorities.

According to witnesses who were near the area, the plane had shown problems or unusual behavior shortly before the crash. They reported that the aircraft had performed strange maneuvers and was flying at a very low altitude.

The Cessna took off at around 10:26 a.m. from an airport near Hilversum, in the Netherlands.

Published flight data shows that the plane initially crossed the border between the Netherlands and Germany at a steady altitude. Later, after entering German territory, it lost significant altitude and suddenly changed direction near Merbeck. The last signal traces were recorded at around 11:17 a.m.