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Jonathan Goldstein: British composer, wife and baby killed in Swiss Alps plane crash

Piper plane crashed less than 90 minutes after taking off and burst into flames

Samuel Osborne
Wednesday 28 August 2019 02:00 EDT
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An award-winning British composer, his musician wife and their baby daughter have been killed in a plane crash in the Swiss Alps.

Jonathan Goldstein, his wife Hannah Goldstein and seven-month-old Saskia were believed to be on their way to Italy when the plane they were travelling in crashed at the weekend.

“We are all devastated by the news of Jonathan, Hannah and Saskia’s deaths,” a family spokesman said.

“We loved them all so very much. They were so happy together and we will miss them terribly.

“We would ask the media to respect the family’s privacy at this extremely difficult time.”

Police said a Piper plane set off on Sunday morning from the Vaudois airfield in western Switzerland and was headed for Italy.

However, less than 90 minutes later it crashed above the Simplon Pass area near the Italian border and burst into flames.

The bodies of the pilot, a passenger and a small child were recovered from the wreckage.

Mr Goldstein was the founder and creative director of Goldstein Music Group, a music production agency in London whose clients include HBO and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Ms Goldstein was a saxophonist who performed at venues including the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall, and was a regular at the BBC Proms.

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A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: “Our staff are assisting the relatives of a British family who died in a plane accident in western Switzerland and are also in contact with the local authorities.”

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