What happened
During a nighttime flight over the North Sea, the aircraft came under attack from a German fighter pilot. In response to the threat, the captain lowered the altitude with the intention of ditching the plane into the water. However, the maneuver resulted in the Dakota colliding with a cliff face on Hållö Island, causing a crash.
At the time of the impact, two individuals were positioned in the rear section of the cabin preparing a life raft. The force of the collision ejected these two occupants from the fuselage, allowing them to survive the accident. Tragically, the remaining 13 occupants did not survive the event.
Findings
The official investigation determined that the primary cause of the incident was the aircraft being shot down by a German fighter.