Atlantic Airways BAe 146-200A plane crash
Stord, Norway
Updated on
The Atlantic Airways Flight RC670 was chartered by the Norwegian industrial concern Aker Kværner to fly personnel from
Stavanger to Molde via Stord (Norrway). The flight was performed by a British Aerospace 146-200 jet and was carrying 12
passengers and 4 crewmembers.
While landing at Stord Airport, the plane overran the 1200 m long runway, continued down a slope close to the sea and burst
into flames. 4 people were killed in the accident. 12 people, including the pilot, survived the crash and escaped without
major injuries.
Weather conditions at the time of the accident were fine at the time of the accident. Witnesses reported hearing a large
bang and seeing huge flames and smoke rise from the vicinity of the plane.
The crash was caused by the wing spoilers, crucial for braking, that failed to deploy after landing. Without spoilers, lift
from the wings combined with a damp runway caused steamy water under the main wheels, and the braking power needed was
gone.
The spoilers (or air brakes) are small panels located on the wings that help braking by increasing the drag of the wings
and giving the aircraft's wheels better traction. The BAe 146-200 is a little different that other airplanes because it
does not reverse its engines for braking, but is completely dependent on wheel brakes and air braking, or spoilers.
The runway 33 (airport's western runway), where the plane landed, is built along and out into the waters of a fjord:
overrunning the runway results in a catastrophic event.
