Widerøe Flight 839
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 12 April 1990 |
| Summary | Structural failure due to strong winds |
| Site |
Værøy, Norway 67°41′N 012°40′E / 67.683°N 12.667°ECoordinates: 67°41′N 012°40′E / 67.683°N 12.667°E |
| Passengers | 3 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 5 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter |
| Operator | Widerøe |
| Registration | LN-BNS |
| Flight origin | Værøy Airport |
| Destination | Bodø Airport |
Widerøe Flight 839, also known as the Værøy Accident (Norwegian: Værøy-ulykken), was a crash into water of a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter just after take-off from Værøy Airport in Norway. The incident occurred on 12 April 1990 at 14:44, and killed all five people on board. The cause of the accident were strong winds that exceeded the structure's tolerance, causing the tail rudder and tailplane to crack so the plane became uncontrollable. Impact occurred 63 seconds after take-off and 8 seconds after the crack. The aircraft crashed into the water, and a search was conducted for several days to find the wreck.
Uneven and strong winds had given the airport low regularity, and prior to take-off, wind speeds of 57 knots (106 km/h) had been recorded.The accident caused the airport to be permanently closed, and replaced by Værøy Heliport. The incident was investigated by the Accident Investigation Board Norway, who published their conclusions in 1991. Three years later, a new investigation was conducted, after an engineer had stated that the cause of the accident could instead have been fatigue. The second investigation came to the same conclusion as the first and all involved parties have since supported the causes made in the initial report.
Widerøe Flight 839 was a scheduled flight from Værøy Airport to Bodø Airport operated with a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter. The aircraft had registration LN-BNS and serial number 536, and was delivered to Widerøe on 27 April 1977. It was insured with Norsk Flyforsikringspool. The aircraft left Bodø Airport at 13:36 as Flight 838 to Røst Airport, where it landed at 14:04. It continued to Værøy as Flight 839, leaving Røst at 14:14. During this flight the crew received information that the wind at the east end of the runway was from 270°, varying from 18 to 26 knots (33 to 48 km/h)—a moderate gale. When the plane landed at 14:30, the tower had stated that the wind was from 270° and max 23 knots (43 km/h). The crew commented on the wind after landing, and stated that the wind blew from all directions. At Værøy Airport, three passengers disembarked, two passengers boarded and the plane fueled. There was also a passenger in transit from Røst to Bodø, so the total ridership was three passengers, plus the two pilots. Take-off weight was 4,548.5 kilograms (10,028 lb), including 640 kg (1,410 lb) of fuel.
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