Braathens SAFE Flight 253
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 7 November 1956 |
| Site |
Hummelfjell 62°24′14″N 11°16′52″E / 62.404°N 11.281°ECoordinates: 62°24′14″N 11°16′52″E / 62.404°N 11.281°E |
| Passengers | 10 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Survivors | 10 |
| Aircraft type | de Havilland DH-114 Heron 2B |
| Aircraft name | Lars |
| Operator | Braathens SAFE |
| Registration | LN-SUR |
| Flight origin | Trondheim Airport, Værnes |
| Destination | Oslo Airport, Fornebu |
Braathens SAFE Flight 253, also known as the Hummelfjell Accident (Norwegian: Hummelfjell-ulykken), occurred on 7 November 1956 at 9:50, when a de Havilland Heron crashed into the mountain Hummelfjell in Tolga, Norway. The Braathens SAFE aircraft was en route from Trondheim Airport, Værnes to Oslo Airport, Fornebu. While passing Røros the Heron started experiencing a rapidly accelerating atmospheric icing which soon was too extensive for the ice protection system to handle. Combined with downdraft, the aircraft lost sufficient lift to stay airborne. The pilots were able to turn around the aircraft, but it hit Hummelfjell at an altitude of 1,350 meters (4,430 ft) above mean sea level.
The aircraft's captain was killed in the impact and a passenger died shortly afterwards. Ten people survived the crash, which was the first fatal accident of Braathens SAFE. Amongst the survivors was Rolf Kirkvaag, at the time Norway's most popular radio host. The search and rescue operation was severely hindered by a blizzard and poor visibility. Kirkvaag and another person left the plane after a day and met a rescue party. The investigation concluded that there were neither technical faults with the aircraft nor pilot error, and that it was not possible to predict the weather conditions which caused the icing.
The accident aircraft was a de Havilland DH-114 Heron 2B with registration LN-SUR, serial number 14093 and named Lars. It was bought new by Braathens SAFE and was registered on 8 February 1956. The Herons had been introduced in Braathens SAFE's fleet in 1952 and remained in service until 1960.Lars was insured by Lloyd's.
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