Braathens SAFE Flight 253

Braathens SAFE Flight 253
	Crash site of Flight 253
Accident
Date	7 November 1956
Summary	Crashed due to icing conditions
Site	Hummelfjell ; 62°24′14″N 11°16′52″E / 62.404°N 11.281°E
Aircraft
Aircraft type	de Havilland DH-114 Heron 2B
Aircraft name	Lars
Operator	Braathens SAFE
Registration	LN-SUR
Flight origin	Trondheim Airport, Værnes
Destination	Oslo Airport, Fornebu
Occupants	12
Passengers	10
Crew	2
Fatalities	2
Survivors	10

Braathens SAFE Flight 253, also known as the Hummelfjell Accident (Norwegian: Hummelfjell-ulykken), occurred on 7 November 1956 at 9:50, when a de Havilland Heron crashed into Hummelfjell mountain in Tolga, Norway. The Braathens SAFE aircraft was en route from Trondheim Airport, Værnes to Oslo Airport, Fornebu. While passing Røros, the Heron started experiencing a rapid atmospheric icing which soon was too extensive for the ice protection system to handle. Combined with a downdraft, the aircraft lost sufficient lift to stay airborne. The pilots were able to turn the aircraft around, but it nevertheless hit Hummelfjell at an altitude of 1,350 meters (4,430 ft) above mean sea level.

The aircraft's captain was killed on impact, and a passenger died shortly afterwards. Ten people survived the crash, which was the first fatal accident of a Braathens SAFE. Among the survivors was Rolf Kirkvaag, at the time Norway's most popular radio host. The search and rescue operation was severely hindered by a blizzard and poor visibility. Kirkvaag and another person left the plane after a day and met a rescue party. The investigation concluded that neither technical faults with the aircraft nor pilot error played a part in the incident, and that it was not possible to predict the weather conditions which caused the icing.