Junkers JU.52 accident at Seljord, Norway, 16 Oct 1944 (D-ADQV)

Accident narrative

The three engine aircraft christened 'Herman Stache' left Copenhagen Airport at 1750LT bound for Oslo. After passing Skagen, the aircraft entered over Skagerrak and the weather conditions deteriorated. Due to poor visibility and wind from the east, the aircraft diverted from the prescribed flight path to the west. Persuaded to be on the correct track for Oslo, the crew reduced his altitude and went through the cloud layer to start the descent to Fornebu Airport. At an altitude of 1,355 meters, the aircraft hit the slope of Mt Skorvefjell located northwest of Seljord. The wreckage was found few hours later and all 15 occupants were killed. Crew: Johannes Schröter, August Lukat, Wilhelm Jenss. Passengers: Curt Braun, Armin Priest, Hans Haas, Herman Daduna, Walter Hodt, Erwin Keller, Edwin Krause, Alexander Rockel, Georg Rosenbush, Gerard Schmidt, Kjell Andreas Martinsen, Milli Holthe.

Probable cause (official findings): It was concluded that the accident resulted from a controlled flight into terrain. At the time of the accident, the aircraft was off the prescribed flight path, most probably due a wind from the east gusting up to 15 km/h. Also, the radio equipment failed in flight, which should be considered as a contributory factor.