In March 1982, a Twin Otter from Norwegian Commuter Airline Wideroe crashed in the sea near of Nordkapp in the northernmost part of Norway and 2 crew plus 13 pax died instantly.
According to the so-far two completed investigations the plane became unmanueverable due to damage to the rudder.Rough weather and improper pilot actions where cited as factors.

But the mourning relatives have in reality been left without an acceptable explanation as to what really happened that sinister day.

For instance - when asked, DeHavilland repelled the explanation that pilot inputs could have caused the rudder to instantly deflect to the left with more than 90 degrees (the rudder is operated directly, from the pilots pedals).

A number of witnesses stating that british Harrier fighter planes had flewn close to the Otter at the time of the crash were repelled or made think they had got it wrong about the time-line.
If the mil. planes had been in the area, this would have been a significant violation of the mil. (NATO) rules during the cold war - there was a clean zone in the proximity of the Soviet border.

Now, it seems that the truth finally may make it
to the front seat - several then mil. radar operators have finally stepped forward and told what they saw on their screens at the time the Otter impacted 20 years ago. Until now, they felt that they were commited to the secrecy act they originally had signed.

The norwegian parliament also has decided to re-open the investigation, calling for the participation of independent experts.

http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=444545

len

It should be interesting to see what transpires from this new investigation. Thanks for the article Len. I certainly hope that we don't have to wait 20 years to find out the truth about what happened to sr111.

Barbara

SAVING BUCKS - but at what price (risk)?

It is not only in the O�Hare airspace that deliberate risk-exposure
takes place these days - here is an event that sends chilly
remembrances to a tragic event off the coast of California,US ;

"SAS-flight in dramatic incident at ARN.

A SAS�flight on it�s way from ARN to London (UK) was forced to turn
back to ARN at lunch time on May 1, one hour into the flt.

The pilot reported that chafing in the controls for the
aircraft�s "steering and rudder" occured.
There were 147 pax and 5 crew on board.
- The descision was made to return to the place of departure, since
this is where there are good perspectives on investigating and
repairing the aircraft, as the stetment o Ulf Thorne, media contact
in SAS.
According to Thorne, there never was any risk for the flight.
Emergency vehicles and police was standing by at the landing, which
was un-eventful."

If alluding to the Alaska Air flight, plummeting into the Ocean outside of L.A. , maybe that the SAS crew could have been cautious enough to land at the nearest suitable airport?



len