What happened
On the day of the accident, the Swedish Coastguard (KBV) was conducting routine maritime surveillance missions over the southern Baltic Sea and the Swedish coastline. The flight, operated by SE-IVF, was part of a mission involving environmental and fishing monitoring, as well as searching for debris from a sunken barge. The crew included two pilots and two system operators.
Following the initial flight plan, which included departures from Ronneby and a route passing near Gotland and Öland, the crew received a request to perform a demonstration fly-by over the KBV base at the Falsterbo canal for visiting school groups. The pilots accepted this request and modified their route to approach the canal.
At approximately 13:23, the aircraft type performed a series of maneuvers over the canal area. After an initial pass, the aircraft returned for a second, low-speed pass along the canal in a south-south-east direction. During this low-altitude approach, the aircraft began to exhibit wing-tipping motions. As the aircraft passed over the bridge at the northwest entrance of the canal, a loud bang occurred, and the left wing separated from the airframe. The aircraft subsequently rolled onto its back and crashed into the canal basin. The impact caused a significant displacement of water, and the wreckage quickly submerged. There were 4 fatalities as a result of the crash.
Findings
- The aircraft was performing a low-altitude, low-speed demonstration flight over a populated area near the Falsterbo canal.
- The structural failure was characterized by the complete separation of the left wing during a period of wing-tipping maneuvers.