Merkel’s emergency landing investigated for possible crimes

German authorities are investigating possible sabotage of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s plane after pilots cut short her trip to the G-20 due to an electronics failure.

The Airbus A340 experienced difficulties southwest of Amsterdam on Thursday, less than an hour into the flight from Berlin. A routine inspection suggests a technical malfunction of the plane’s air-to-ground communications systems, a German air force spokesman in Berlin said by phone. At this point, there's no immediate evidence of a crime, he said.

The pilots dumped fuel, but even so the plane touched down in Cologne with a heavy load for a trans-Atlantic flight. News portal Spiegel Online reported the plane suffered a complete failure of its communication system that left the crew without contact with ground control.