Cause of fatal plane crash unknown

Aquila A211 fatal Plane crashAquila A211. Photo:By FlugKerl2 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,

The cause of the fatal plane crash with the small aircraft is still unknown

The man who died in a small plane crash in southern Aurdal has been brought down from the accident site. The aircraft supposedly did not send an emergency signal, and the cause of the accident is still not known.

 

– There was a man who died in the accident, but we can not comment further on circumstances regarding the person until he is autopsied, says acting sheriff in Valdres, Bård Sørumshaugen, to NTB.

The victim was brought down from the accident site on Wednesday morning. The police think they know the identity of the person, but will wait for the autopsy to be sure. The supposed relatives are notified.

The police were notified of the accident at Dyttholknatten in South Aurdal at 21.15 Tuesday. The plane which crashed was a two-seater airplane of the Aquila A211 model and belonged to the Nedre Romerike Flying Club.

Deputy Leader in the Nedre Romerike flying club, Thore Nylund, tells TV 2 that the deceased was a young person who has not been a club member for long. The person had a flight certificate and was on a private trip when the accident occurred.

Did not send out a distress signal

According to NRK, the aircraft did not send out a distress signal before it hit the mountain side.

– This is tragic; for the families first and foremost, but also for the flying club. We have had a long and good history with few accidents. We had hoped that the track record would last longer, but unfortunately it was broken on Tuesday night, says Nylund to Romerikes Blad.

Nedre Romerike Flying Club is the largest in the country and is located at Kjeller Airport outside Lillestrøm. According to Nylund, the plane that crashed was the club’s newest and was delivered in 2016, NRK writes.

The plane took off from Kjeller at 6 pm on Tuesday evening. The police will not comment on the itinerary or the condition of the aircraft before the accident. The Flying Club announces that they are putting the second aircraft of the same model on the ground after Tuesday’s accident.

Questioning witnesses

Several witnesses were questioned by the police in Valdres on Wednesday. According to police, was one man witnessed the crash and reported the incident. Others in the area supposedly have seen or heard the plane just before it crashed. According to Operations Manager in the Inland police district, Arne Norevik, witnesses have observed flames in the area after the crash.

– We are now in a retrieval phase. Several witnesses have reported themselves, and they may perhaps give us a better picture of what has happened, says Sørumshaugen to NTB.

Police crime technicians and the Norwegian Accident Investigation Board (AIBN) on Wednesday worked to investigate the course of events and causality. A police helicopter also participated in the work. The remains of the aircraft are in an area of about 200 by 200 metres. The site is steep and difficult to access, with rock falls and shrubs.

Police says that AIBN will bring out the fuselage and wreckage Wednesday night.

Police helicopter, air ambulance and rescue helicopter were first in the area on Tuesday night to get an overview of the accident site. The helicopter crew had to land and walk on foot to the accident site. The deceased was not retrieved until Wednesday because of the difficult terrain, the police states.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today