Havørn Accident
Encyclopedia
The Havørn Accident was a controlled flight into terrain
of a Junkers Ju 52
aircraft into the mountain Lihesten
in Hyllestad
, Norway
on 16 June 1936 at 07:00. The aircraft, operated by Norwegian Air Lines, was en route from Bergen
to Tromsø
. The pilots were unaware that they were flying a parallel to the planned course, 15 kilometre further east. The crew of four and three passengers were all killed in what was the first fatal aviation accident in Norway. The aircraft landed on a shelf on the mountain face. A first expedition found four bodies, but attempts to reach the shelf with the main part of the aircraft and three more bodies failed. A second party was sent out two days later, coordinated by Bernt Balchen
and led by Boye Schlytter
and Henning Tønsberg
, saw the successful salvage of the remaining bodies.
LN-DAE, which had been bought from Deutsche Lufthansa
. On 16 June 1936 at 06:30 Central European Time
, the flight departed from the water aerodrome in Sandviken
, Bergen. On board was a crew of four and three passengers, and a load of 13 bags of 50 kilograms (110.2 lb) of post.
The aircraft's captain was Ditlev Pentz Smith. Aged 27, he had started flying for the Norwegian Army Air Service
in 1930, and later become a civilian pilot for Widerøe
. He was considered one of the country's most renowned pilots and was active with competition flights. He was assisted by First Officer Erik Storm, aged 32, who had a background from the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service
. The reserve pilot was Peter Ruth Paasche, aged 21, and the radio operator was Per Erling Hegle, aged 28 and a trained mechanic. All four had been chosen to regularly fly the Bergen–Tromsø route. The three passengers were Inspector Sven Svensen Løgit, Consul Wilhelm Andreas Mejdell Dall and journalist Harald Wigum of Bergens Tidende
.
The weather report, which had been delivered orally by meteorologist-on-duty of the Forecasting Division of Western Norway
at the airport, stated wind from southeast at 5 kilometre per hour, overcast and clouds down to 200 metres (656.2 ft), although it could be even lower certain places. The visibility was 4 kilometres (2.5 mi). The last radio contact between the aircraft and the airport in Bergen was at 06:54, when Hegle reported clouds at 1000 metre elevation and between 4 kilometre visibility. He reported that the aircraft held a course towards Krakhellesundet, which was procedure during such weather conditions, and that the aircraft was south of Sognesjøen
.
However, the aircraft was not where the pilots thought it was—instead it was 15 kilometre further east. Eyewitnesses reported that after it had crossed Sognefjorden, it had changed course westward and started to ascend. At 07:00, a loud crash was heard, although there were no eyewitnesses to the crash itself. The aircraft had followed a parallel, but more eastern, course and had hit Lihesten, a mountain rising up from Lifjorden, at 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) above mean sea level
. The aircraft caught fire and was highly visible from the surrounding area. Parts of the aircraft fell to the foot of the mountain, and the wreckage was scattered across the base of the mountain. The controlled flight into terrain
was the first fatal aviation accident in Norway.
Chief of Police Alf Reksten arrived in the afternoon and took over responsibility. Later, the ship Mira, belonging to Bergen Steamship Company
(BSD), arrived with two doctors, two nurses, material from the Red Cross, specialist police officers, fire fighters, representatives from the airline and Norway Post, and journalists. The sister aircraft Najaden arrived later in the afternoon with relatives of the deceased and journalists; its main objective was to search for survivors, but there was no possibility for it to land on the mountain and so could not help with the salvaging. Later a Widerøe aircraft arrived as well, which transported DNL's technical director Bernt Balchen, Captain Eckhoff, who worked for the aviation authorities, and Gjermundson from the insurance company. The three, along with Reksten and Bredvik, became the investigation commission.
After Balchen had investigated the accident site from the plane, a party of five climbers started at 18:00 to climb the mountain side. When they reached the shelf, they found two bodies, a large amount of post and parts from the plane, including a wing. The bodies were sent down the mountain side. They then attempted to climb further up to the main wreck where the last three bodies were presumed to be, but this was deemed too dangerous by Balchen, and the operation terminated. Mira returned to Bergen at 02:00. The following day, four people attempted to climb down the mountain face to reach the wreck. Magnus Nipen was lowered 50 metres (164 ft), but it was impossible to descend the remaining 70 metre. Balchen concluded that it was impossible to reach the aircraft, and returned to Oslo the same afternoon.
However, the locals were determined to reach the aircraft. Magnus Kolgrov, along with Robert and Bernt Porten, who along with two others descended down a further 30 metres (98.4 ft). Although they were able to salvage two post bags, they were not able to reach the wreck. The operation took ten hours. From then, the police stationed an officer at the top of the mountain, both to hinder theft and to enforce a climbing ban.
In a letter to the editor
in Aftenposten
on 17 June, submitted by Robert M. Steen, it was suggested that reaching the ledge would be a suitable challenge for the mountaineering association Norsk Tindeklub
. The newspaper contacted the club, and offered to cover all expenses. The club sent Boye Schlytter and Henning Tønsberg to Bergen, where they joined forces with police officer Hermann Heggenes and photographer and firefighter Alf Adriansen. The expedition was led by Balchen, arriving with the BSD vessel Vulcanus. Arne Næss, Jr. had just used bolts
to climb the Dolomites
, and these had been lent to Tønsberg. As such, it was the first time bolts were used for climbing in Norway.
They started the ascent at 19:00 and reached the first shelf about two hours later. Here, a field radio was stationed. Later the same evening, they reached the main shelf where the aircraft body lay. Although finding the remaining bodies, the team only salvaged some post, concluding that it would be too difficult for them to take down the bodies. They were down again at 01:30. At 10:00 on 20 June, the team again ascended the mountain. Bernt Porten climbed half-way up at least a dozen times, taking water up and bringing down bodies wrapped in tarpaulin. All three bodies and the climbers were down again at 21:00.
on 21 August, Schlytter, Tønsberg, Robert Porten and Heggenes were awarded the Medal for Heroic Deeds. The medals were presented in a ceremony at Hotel Continental, Oslo
some days later.
In early 1937, news surfaced that the widow and father of Erik Storm filed a lawsuit against the Norwegian Air Lines. The father, Major B. Storm, stated that his goal was "rehabilitation of my son as well as compensation". The family had received of insurance money, but reportedly wanted more, and also desired to have the airline take the responsibility for the accident. The family sent a formal petition to the Parliament of Norway asking for further accident investigation, but after acquiring statements from the Chief of Police of Sogn and the Riksadvokaten and cycling the case through Ministry of Defence, the Parliament declared that no action should be taken. In addition, the lawsuit was dropped, after the airline reached an "agreement" with Storm's family, and had a letter publicly printed in which Storm was cleared of all responsibility for the accident.
On 23 May 1937, a group of four climbers descended down the face on a different route and were able to find a golden ring and a golden watch, which they sent to the airline. The found some body parts which they offered to recover for 500 Norwegian krone
, but this was rejected. Heggenes stated that these were parts which had been buried by the previous expedition.
To replace the aircraft, DNL bought another Ju-52, named Falken, used from Lufthansa.
Parts from the wreck are on display at Flyhistorisk Museum, Sola
. On 14 June 2008, a memorial was erected half-way up the mountain, with 200 people attending the ceremony.
Controlled flight into terrain
Controlled flight into terrain describes an accident in which an airworthy aircraft, under pilot control, is unintentionally flown into the ground, a mountain, water, or an obstacle. The term was coined by engineers at Boeing in the late 1970s...
of a Junkers Ju 52
Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler...
aircraft into the mountain Lihesten
Lihesten
Lihesten is a tall mountain in Hyllestad, Norway. It was the site of the Havørn Accident on 16 June 1936....
in Hyllestad
Hyllestad
Hyllestad is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of Hyllestad is the village of Hyllestad....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
on 16 June 1936 at 07:00. The aircraft, operated by Norwegian Air Lines, was en route from Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
to Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
. The pilots were unaware that they were flying a parallel to the planned course, 15 kilometre further east. The crew of four and three passengers were all killed in what was the first fatal aviation accident in Norway. The aircraft landed on a shelf on the mountain face. A first expedition found four bodies, but attempts to reach the shelf with the main part of the aircraft and three more bodies failed. A second party was sent out two days later, coordinated by Bernt Balchen
Bernt Balchen
Bernt Balchen, , a winner of the Distinguished Flying Cross was a Norwegian native, and later U.S. citizen, known as a pioneer polar aviator, navigator, aircraft mechanical engineer and military leader. His service in the U.S...
and led by Boye Schlytter
Boye Schlytter
Boye Hamilton Schlytter was a Norwegian businessperson and mountain climber. He was president of Norsk Tindeklub from 1928 to 1948. In June 1936, he led the expedition to recover three bodies from Lihesten after the Havørn Accident...
and Henning Tønsberg
Henning Tønsberg
Henning Heyerdahl Tønsberg jr. was a Norwegian mountain climber, photographer, ski jumper and pharmacist.As a ski jumper, he won the competition in Solbergbakken, Hannibalbakken and the Holmenkollen Ski Festival in 1927. He won Galdhøpiggrennet in 1934. In June 1936, he participated the expedition...
, saw the successful salvage of the remaining bodies.
Accident
The air service between Bergen and Tromsø was started by Norwegian Air Lines on 7 June 1936. It was operated with Havørn, a Junkers Ju 52, registrationAircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
LN-DAE, which had been bought from Deutsche Lufthansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. was a German airline, serving as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and throughout the Third Reich.-1920s:Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded on 6 January 1926 in Berlin...
. On 16 June 1936 at 06:30 Central European Time
Central European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
, the flight departed from the water aerodrome in Sandviken
Sandviken, Norway
-Location:Geographically it is located geographically north-east of the city center. The neighbourhood begins north of Bergenhus Fortress, and follows the coastline facing west. Sandvik Road is the main thoroughfare through the area, which mostly consists of residential buildings...
, Bergen. On board was a crew of four and three passengers, and a load of 13 bags of 50 kilograms (110.2 lb) of post.
The aircraft's captain was Ditlev Pentz Smith. Aged 27, he had started flying for the Norwegian Army Air Service
Norwegian Army Air Service
The Norwegian Army Air Service ' was established in 1914. Its main base and aircraft factory was at Kjeller. On 10 November 1944 the NoAAS was joined with the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service to form the Royal Norwegian Air Force....
in 1930, and later become a civilian pilot for Widerøe
Widerøe
Widerøe's Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a regional airline in Norway and part of the SAS Group. It operates a fleet of 34 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft , serving 41 domestic and 6 international destinations...
. He was considered one of the country's most renowned pilots and was active with competition flights. He was assisted by First Officer Erik Storm, aged 32, who had a background from the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service
Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service
The Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service was alongside the Norwegian Army Air Service the forerunner to the modern-day Royal Norwegian Air Force.- History :...
. The reserve pilot was Peter Ruth Paasche, aged 21, and the radio operator was Per Erling Hegle, aged 28 and a trained mechanic. All four had been chosen to regularly fly the Bergen–Tromsø route. The three passengers were Inspector Sven Svensen Løgit, Consul Wilhelm Andreas Mejdell Dall and journalist Harald Wigum of Bergens Tidende
Bergens Tidende
Bergens Tidende is Norway's fourth largest newspaper and largest newspaper outside Oslo, with a circulation of about 87,000 copies . Founded in 1868, it is a Norwegian-language newspaper published daily in Bergen. It reaches approximately 260,000 readers every day , mainly in the counties of...
.
The weather report, which had been delivered orally by meteorologist-on-duty of the Forecasting Division of Western Norway
Forecasting Division of Western Norway
The Forecasting Division of Western Norway is a department of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute located in Bergen. It was established in 1918. It prepares weather forecasting for the area between Nord-Trøndelag and Lista, as well as the fishing grounds around The British Isles and Iceland....
at the airport, stated wind from southeast at 5 kilometre per hour, overcast and clouds down to 200 metres (656.2 ft), although it could be even lower certain places. The visibility was 4 kilometres (2.5 mi). The last radio contact between the aircraft and the airport in Bergen was at 06:54, when Hegle reported clouds at 1000 metre elevation and between 4 kilometre visibility. He reported that the aircraft held a course towards Krakhellesundet, which was procedure during such weather conditions, and that the aircraft was south of Sognesjøen
Sognesjøen
Sognesjøen is the outermost part of Sognefjord, between Fedje and Gulen to the southeast and Solund in the northwest. It is about long....
.
However, the aircraft was not where the pilots thought it was—instead it was 15 kilometre further east. Eyewitnesses reported that after it had crossed Sognefjorden, it had changed course westward and started to ascend. At 07:00, a loud crash was heard, although there were no eyewitnesses to the crash itself. The aircraft had followed a parallel, but more eastern, course and had hit Lihesten, a mountain rising up from Lifjorden, at 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
. The aircraft caught fire and was highly visible from the surrounding area. Parts of the aircraft fell to the foot of the mountain, and the wreckage was scattered across the base of the mountain. The controlled flight into terrain
Controlled flight into terrain
Controlled flight into terrain describes an accident in which an airworthy aircraft, under pilot control, is unintentionally flown into the ground, a mountain, water, or an obstacle. The term was coined by engineers at Boeing in the late 1970s...
was the first fatal aviation accident in Norway.
Salvage and investigation
Several locals rushed to the foot of the mountain, and at 08:30, Sheriff Kaare Bredvik arrived at the scene. Two corpses were found immediately, but were so scorched that they could not be identified until at hospital. There were rumors of survivors as movement had been spotted on the mountain side. Bredvik had difficulty communicating with his superiors in Sogn Police District, and had to contact them via Bergen. From there, the press was also alerted, and several locals became ad hoc correspondents. The home of Deputy Mayor Hans A. Risnes was used as a base of operations. However, searching was made difficult by the lack of any radio connection at the foot of the hill. Eventually a "shouting relay" was created, allowing messages to be sent effectively. A party of experienced mountaineers, who had many times succeeded at getting sheep down from shelves, attempted to reach the wreck, which was located on a shelf 100 metres (328.1 ft) above the foot. Despite three attempts the first day, they did not succeed at reaching the aircraft.Chief of Police Alf Reksten arrived in the afternoon and took over responsibility. Later, the ship Mira, belonging to Bergen Steamship Company
Bergen Steamship Company
The Bergen Steamship Company or Bergenske Dampskibsselskab , was founded in 1851 to operate a shipping service between the Norwegian ports of Bergen, Stavanger, and Kristiansand and the German port of Hamburg with the paddle steamer Bergen. The company funnel was black with three widely spaced...
(BSD), arrived with two doctors, two nurses, material from the Red Cross, specialist police officers, fire fighters, representatives from the airline and Norway Post, and journalists. The sister aircraft Najaden arrived later in the afternoon with relatives of the deceased and journalists; its main objective was to search for survivors, but there was no possibility for it to land on the mountain and so could not help with the salvaging. Later a Widerøe aircraft arrived as well, which transported DNL's technical director Bernt Balchen, Captain Eckhoff, who worked for the aviation authorities, and Gjermundson from the insurance company. The three, along with Reksten and Bredvik, became the investigation commission.
After Balchen had investigated the accident site from the plane, a party of five climbers started at 18:00 to climb the mountain side. When they reached the shelf, they found two bodies, a large amount of post and parts from the plane, including a wing. The bodies were sent down the mountain side. They then attempted to climb further up to the main wreck where the last three bodies were presumed to be, but this was deemed too dangerous by Balchen, and the operation terminated. Mira returned to Bergen at 02:00. The following day, four people attempted to climb down the mountain face to reach the wreck. Magnus Nipen was lowered 50 metres (164 ft), but it was impossible to descend the remaining 70 metre. Balchen concluded that it was impossible to reach the aircraft, and returned to Oslo the same afternoon.
However, the locals were determined to reach the aircraft. Magnus Kolgrov, along with Robert and Bernt Porten, who along with two others descended down a further 30 metres (98.4 ft). Although they were able to salvage two post bags, they were not able to reach the wreck. The operation took ten hours. From then, the police stationed an officer at the top of the mountain, both to hinder theft and to enforce a climbing ban.
In a letter to the editor
Letter to the editor
A letter to the editor is a letter sent to a publication about issues of concern from its readers. Usually, letters are intended for publication...
in Aftenposten
Aftenposten
Aftenposten is Norway's largest newspaper. It retook this position in 2010, taking it from the tabloid Verdens Gang which had been the largest newspaper for several decades. It is based in Oslo. The morning edition, which is distributed across all of Norway, had a circulation of 250,179 in 2007...
on 17 June, submitted by Robert M. Steen, it was suggested that reaching the ledge would be a suitable challenge for the mountaineering association Norsk Tindeklub
Norsk Tindeklub
Norsk Tindeklub is a Norwegian mountaineering association. The club was founded in 1908. The association issues climbing guides and mountaineering books. The club has issued several jubilee books in the series Norsk Fjellsport...
. The newspaper contacted the club, and offered to cover all expenses. The club sent Boye Schlytter and Henning Tønsberg to Bergen, where they joined forces with police officer Hermann Heggenes and photographer and firefighter Alf Adriansen. The expedition was led by Balchen, arriving with the BSD vessel Vulcanus. Arne Næss, Jr. had just used bolts
Bolt (climbing)
In rock climbing, a bolt is a permanent anchor fixed into a hole drilled in the rock as a form of protection. Most bolts are either self-anchoring expansion bolts or fixed in place with liquid resin....
to climb the Dolomites
Dolomites
The Dolomites are a mountain range located in north-eastern Italy. It is a part of Southern Limestone Alps and extends from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley...
, and these had been lent to Tønsberg. As such, it was the first time bolts were used for climbing in Norway.
They started the ascent at 19:00 and reached the first shelf about two hours later. Here, a field radio was stationed. Later the same evening, they reached the main shelf where the aircraft body lay. Although finding the remaining bodies, the team only salvaged some post, concluding that it would be too difficult for them to take down the bodies. They were down again at 01:30. At 10:00 on 20 June, the team again ascended the mountain. Bernt Porten climbed half-way up at least a dozen times, taking water up and bringing down bodies wrapped in tarpaulin. All three bodies and the climbers were down again at 21:00.
Aftermath
The airline offered compensation to the locals, but this was rejected in a letter date 27 June, in which the locals collectively stated that they were just happy to help. In a Council of StateNorwegian Council of State
The Norwegian Council of State consists, according to the constitution of the prime minister and at least seven other ministers, the majority of which must belong to the state church. The current number of ministers is 20.-External links:*...
on 21 August, Schlytter, Tønsberg, Robert Porten and Heggenes were awarded the Medal for Heroic Deeds. The medals were presented in a ceremony at Hotel Continental, Oslo
Hotel Continental, Oslo
Hotel Continental is a hotel in Oslo, Norway, that opened in 1900.The background story of the Continental is like an old fairytale, about a young couple, who through their hard work and entrepreneurship created a monument that will live for many years. It all started in Sweden in 1860, with the...
some days later.
In early 1937, news surfaced that the widow and father of Erik Storm filed a lawsuit against the Norwegian Air Lines. The father, Major B. Storm, stated that his goal was "rehabilitation of my son as well as compensation". The family had received of insurance money, but reportedly wanted more, and also desired to have the airline take the responsibility for the accident. The family sent a formal petition to the Parliament of Norway asking for further accident investigation, but after acquiring statements from the Chief of Police of Sogn and the Riksadvokaten and cycling the case through Ministry of Defence, the Parliament declared that no action should be taken. In addition, the lawsuit was dropped, after the airline reached an "agreement" with Storm's family, and had a letter publicly printed in which Storm was cleared of all responsibility for the accident.
On 23 May 1937, a group of four climbers descended down the face on a different route and were able to find a golden ring and a golden watch, which they sent to the airline. The found some body parts which they offered to recover for 500 Norwegian krone
Norwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
, but this was rejected. Heggenes stated that these were parts which had been buried by the previous expedition.
To replace the aircraft, DNL bought another Ju-52, named Falken, used from Lufthansa.
Parts from the wreck are on display at Flyhistorisk Museum, Sola
Flyhistorisk Museum, Sola
Flyhistorisk Museum, Sola is an aviation museum located in Sola, near Stavanger, Norway. The museum was founded in 1984, and is run by local volunteers on an unpaid basis...
. On 14 June 2008, a memorial was erected half-way up the mountain, with 200 people attending the ceremony.