Air traffic control was cause of Hercules crash in Sweden’s Arctic
Swedish air controllers gave a Norwegian military plane the wrong information and caused it to crash into a mountain, concluded the state-appointed commission at a press conference today.
Hans Ytterberg is the head of the commission. He says that “it is not especially interesting who has made a mistake. Everyone can make mistakes. The interesting question is, how could this happen.”
The hercules plane hit the side of Sweden’s highest mountain, Kebnekaise, in March 2012, while on a training mission, killing all five military officers onboard.
The commission’s investigation also blamed the Norwegian military for trusting the Swedish air traffic controllers too much. “Air traffic control did not have the knowledge, experience and tools necessary to deal with air traffic under those conditions,” says head investigator Agne Widholm.
The commission, known as SHK, has submitted 22 recommendations for improvements to Norwegian and Swedish state authorities.
Related Links:
No environmental danger from 2012 crash in Sweden’s Arctic, Radio Sweden
Plane crashed in Sweden’s Arctic “without warning”, Radio Sweden
