Widerøe Flight 839

Common card · No. 392788

Widerøe Flight 839, also known as the Værøy Accident (Norwegian: Værøy-ulykken), was a de Havilland Canada Twin Otter that crashed shortly after takeoff from Værøy Airport in Værøy Municipality in Lofoten, Norway. The accident occurred on 12 April 1990 at 14:44, killing all five people on board. The cause of the accident was strong winds that exceeded the structure's tolerance, causing the tail rudder and tailplane to crack and the aircraft to become uncontrollable. Impact occurred 63 seconds after takeoff and 8 seconds after the crack. The aircraft crashed into the water and a search was conducted for several days to locate the wreckage. Uneven and strong winds had given the airport low regularity, and prior to takeoff, wind speeds of 57 knots (29 m/s; 106 km/h) had been recorded. As a result of the accident, the airport was permanently closed and replaced by Værøy Heliport. The incident was investigated by the Norwegian Accident Investigation Board, which published its conclusions in...

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