Hummelfjell Accident
Encyclopedia
The Hummelfjell Accident 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 on route from Trondheim Airport, Værnes
to Oslo Airport, Fornebu
. The accident was caused by the aircraft losing altitude after heavy icing, combined with a downdraft. Of the two crew and ten passengers, two were killed. On board the aircraft was Rolf Kirkvaag
, who along with one other passenger walked for help the following day. The accident was Braathens SAFE's first fatal accident.
, with registration LN-SUR and named Lars, was on route from Trondheim Airport, Værnes
to Oslo Airport, Fornebu on 7 November 1956. The aircraft had been delivered to Braathens SAFE on 4 February the same year. The scheduled service left Værnes at 08:30, and climbed to 2400 metres (7,874 ft), the cruising altitude. At 09:12, the aircraft passed Tolga Radio Beacon. The aircraft then experienced rapidly increasing light icing. The de-icing system was fully activated, but altitude was lost. The plane turned to return to Værnes. It hit the mountain Hommelfjell in Tolga at 09:50 at a height of 1350 metres (4,429.1 ft), then bounced in the snow before settling.
At the impact, Captain Olav Cabrielsen was killed, while co-pilot Remo Ravndal survived. The accident occurred in an isolated area, with bad weather and inaccessibility for search and rescue troops. There were ten passengers, of which one died after the accident of heart problems directly related to the stress of the incident. Among the passengers was the television actor Rolf Kirkvaag
. The passengers stayed at the aircraft for a day, waiting to be rescued. Due to the harsh blizzard, the rescue troops were not able to locate the wreck. On 8 November, while the blizzard was still active, Kirkvaag, who had two broken bones in his leg, and one other passenger walked from the plane towards civilization. They met two skiers, who were able to communicate with the authorities so the location of the wreck could be pinpointed.
The accident was Braathens SAFE's first fatal accident. The investigation concluded that the accident was probably caused by unusual heavy icing combined with downdraft immediately prior to the crash. Parts from the plane were afterwards used to rebuild another Heron, LN-NPI, after it was damaged on 26 January 1957.
De Havilland Heron
The de Havilland DH.114 Heron was a small, propeller-driven British airliner that first flew on 10 May 1950. It was a development of the twin-engine de Havilland Dove, with a stretched fuselage and two more engines. It was designed as a rugged, conventional low-wing monoplane with tricycle...
crashed into the mountain Hummelfjell in Tolga, Norway
Tolga, Norway
Tolga is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tolga....
. The Braathens SAFE aircraft was on route from Trondheim Airport, Værnes
Trondheim Airport, Værnes
Trondheim Airport, Værnes is an international airport located in Stjørdal, east of Trondheim, Norway. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, it shares facilities with Værnes Air Station of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. In 2010, the airport had 3,521,734 passengers and 55,747 air movements,...
to Oslo Airport, Fornebu
Oslo Airport, Fornebu
Oslo Airport, Fornebu was the main airport serving Oslo and Eastern Norway from 1 June 1939 to 7 October 1998. It was then replaced by Oslo Airport, Gardermoen and the area has since been redeveloped. The airport was located at Fornebu in Bærum, from the city center. Fornebu had two runways, one...
. The accident was caused by the aircraft losing altitude after heavy icing, combined with a downdraft. Of the two crew and ten passengers, two were killed. On board the aircraft was Rolf Kirkvaag
Rolf Kirkvaag
Rolf Kirkvaag was a Norwegian journalist, and a radio- and TV personality. He worked for NRK, the Norwegian state broadcasting network, between 1947 and 1959, and 1969 and 1990. From 1972 to 1985 he was entertainment director.Already a popular public persona, his fame grew enormously after an...
, who along with one other passenger walked for help the following day. The accident was Braathens SAFE's first fatal accident.
Accident
The de Havilland DH-114 Heron 2BDe Havilland Heron
The de Havilland DH.114 Heron was a small, propeller-driven British airliner that first flew on 10 May 1950. It was a development of the twin-engine de Havilland Dove, with a stretched fuselage and two more engines. It was designed as a rugged, conventional low-wing monoplane with tricycle...
, with registration LN-SUR and named Lars, was on route from Trondheim Airport, Værnes
to Oslo Airport, Fornebu on 7 November 1956. The aircraft had been delivered to Braathens SAFE on 4 February the same year. The scheduled service left Værnes at 08:30, and climbed to 2400 metres (7,874 ft), the cruising altitude. At 09:12, the aircraft passed Tolga Radio Beacon. The aircraft then experienced rapidly increasing light icing. The de-icing system was fully activated, but altitude was lost. The plane turned to return to Værnes. It hit the mountain Hommelfjell in Tolga at 09:50 at a height of 1350 metres (4,429.1 ft), then bounced in the snow before settling.
At the impact, Captain Olav Cabrielsen was killed, while co-pilot Remo Ravndal survived. The accident occurred in an isolated area, with bad weather and inaccessibility for search and rescue troops. There were ten passengers, of which one died after the accident of heart problems directly related to the stress of the incident. Among the passengers was the television actor Rolf Kirkvaag
Rolf Kirkvaag
Rolf Kirkvaag was a Norwegian journalist, and a radio- and TV personality. He worked for NRK, the Norwegian state broadcasting network, between 1947 and 1959, and 1969 and 1990. From 1972 to 1985 he was entertainment director.Already a popular public persona, his fame grew enormously after an...
. The passengers stayed at the aircraft for a day, waiting to be rescued. Due to the harsh blizzard, the rescue troops were not able to locate the wreck. On 8 November, while the blizzard was still active, Kirkvaag, who had two broken bones in his leg, and one other passenger walked from the plane towards civilization. They met two skiers, who were able to communicate with the authorities so the location of the wreck could be pinpointed.
The accident was Braathens SAFE's first fatal accident. The investigation concluded that the accident was probably caused by unusual heavy icing combined with downdraft immediately prior to the crash. Parts from the plane were afterwards used to rebuild another Heron, LN-NPI, after it was damaged on 26 January 1957.