GENEVA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- A Swiss army PC-7 aircraft has crashed in the Schreckhorn region of the Bernese Alps in the west of Switzerland, head of the country's air force Aldo Schellenberg said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a media conference, Schellenberg did not provide information about the fate of the pilot, the Swiss News Agency reported.
The small Pilatus propeller plane and pilot took off from the Payerne air base in canton Vaud just after at 8 a.m. local time on Tuesday, but did not land in the southern Swiss town of Locarno on the border with Italy at the expected time one hour later.
The flight did not involve active combat training but was intended to transport the aircraft to Locarno, according to the army.
A search was underway for the plane and pilot, led by four helicopter rescue teams.
The PC-7 is a type of propeller plane designed in the 1970s by Swiss company Pilatus Aircraft.
