What happened
A flight transporting 174 frozen reindeer carcasses was traveling from Torslanda Airport in Göteborg to RAF Bovingdon when the accident occurred. The aircraft was operated by a crew of four individuals. As the plane approached the Bovingdon area, the captain decided to utilize the Standard Beam Approach (SBA) for the descent.
The air traffic controller at Bovingdon issued a final instruction directing the aircraft to descend to 2,000 feet and requested a report once the crew reached the SBA main beacon. However, no such report was received by the controller. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft was observed flying at a low altitude approximately 6 miles southwest of RAF Bovingdon. Moments later, the aircraft impacted the ground. The impact caused an immediate fire that resulted in the total destruction of the plane and the instant death of all four crew members.
Findings
Official investigations into the crash concluded that there was not enough evidence to establish a definitive cause for the accident. Nevertheless, investigators noted that ice formation could have potentially acted as a contributing factor during the flight.