On 10 January 2000, the Saab 340B operating the flight crashed two minutes after takeoff in the Swiss municipality of Niederhasli, killing all 10 passengers and crew.

[3][4][5] The three hull losses were KLM Cityhopper Flight 433 that killed three in the Netherlands, Formosa Airlines Flight 7623 crash that killed 13 in Taiwan,[6] and an incident with another Crossair Saab 340 causing the total loss of a Crossair Saab 340 by retracting its landing gear while it was still on the apron.

Crossair was in the process of phasing out its fleet of 34 Saab-340 type planes; at the time of the accident, it had replaced 17 of them with Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets.

But after 7.2 kilometers (4.5 mi; 3.9 nmi), the plane suddenly started to lose altitude and turn to the right instead of following the approved flight path to the left.

When air traffic controllers asked the pilot if he meant to turn right, they were answered with "Stand by," followed by a loss of radio contact.

[6] At 5:56 p.m. CEST (16:56 UTC), one minute and 56 seconds into the flight, the plane disappeared from radar screens and crashed into a field, instantly lighting up over 2000kg of jet fuel.

[6] Burning wreckage was scattered for 200 to 300 metres (660 to 980 ft) near houses in Niederhasli, some 5 kilometres (3 mi; 3 nmi) northwest of the runway at Zurich's Kloten airport.

[3] The crash came about in the midst of a bitter labor-management dispute between Crossair and its pilots over a possible pay raise and work rules changes.

[2]: p.108 An examination of pilot Pavel Gruzin's body revealed traces of the drug phenazepam, a benzodiazepine-class sedative in his muscle tissue.