1947-12-29

Crash site Copenhagen airport, Denmark
Airline DDL (Det Danske Luftfartselskab) 
Aircraft Vickers 628 Viking  –  OY-DLI  –  Torulf Viking 
Route Paris/Le Bourget  –  Copenhagen 
Crew 4  –  4 survivors 
Passengers 20  –  20 survivors 

 

The crash

The plane left Paris at 15:55 and approached Copenhagen airport around 18:50, but for unknown reasons the plane came down in shallow water short of runway. The plane crashed 150 m from land and all on board were soon picked up by a motor boat. The plane was salvaged, but due to the damage caused by salt-water, it was written off and scrapped.

 

The mail

The plane carried mail for Denmark and Sweden from a variety of destinations as can be seen below. As the crash was not so hard the damage was limited, and all the mail could be salvaged, but a large part was damaged by water.
Both the Danish and the Swedish Post produced labels to be used with the mail forwarded to the recipients.

Number of items in my records:

From  To Denmark To Sweden
France 11  2
Algeria  1  0
Brazil  5  1
Egypt  1  0
French Eq. Africa 0 1

 

 A.
The Danish Post produced labels to be used with mail that was forwarded to the recipients. The text was in Danish language and can be translated to “Damaged in the air crash off Kastrup on 29. December 1947”. The size of the labels vary as they were printed on large size paper and later cut from the sheets. Even if the text is the same I have recorded 9 variations in the arranging of the text:

 

A-a.19471229 A-a
Size textblock: 90 x 20 mm.
First line break after ..uheldet
The last V is under the O.

 

A-b.19471229 A-b
Size textblock: 90 x 20 mm.
First line break after ..uheldet
The last V is under the N.

 

A-c.19471229 A-c
Size textblock: 90 x 20 mm.
First line break after ..uheldet
The last V is under the K.

 

A-d.19471229 A-d
Size textblock: 95 x 20 mm.
First line break after ud-
The last V is under the T.

 

A-e.
Size textblock: 95 x 20 mm.
First line break after ud-
The last V is under the K.

 

A-f.
Size textblock: 95 x 20 mm.
First line break after ud-
The last V is under the O.

 

A-g.
Size textblock: 95 x 20 mm.
First line break after ud-
The last V is under the N.

 

A-h.
Size textblock:   ?
First line break after udfor
The first B is above the s.

 

A-i.
Size textblock: 91 x 20 mm.
First line break after udfor
The first B is above the t.

 

A-j.
Size textblock: 91 x 20 mm.
First line break after udfor
” 29 ’ ” instead of ” 29. ”

 

 

A-k.
Size textblock: 91 x 20 mm.
First line break after udfor
København in small lettering.
Illustrated by Nierinck – not seen.

 

 

B.19471229 B
Swedish label.
Size textblock:   ?
Used in Gothenburg.

Translation:
Enclosed item was damaged in the air crash near Kastrup in Denmark on 29/12 1947. Post Office Göteborg 1 on 9/1 1948.

 

C.19471229 C
Swedish label.
Size textblock:   ?
Used in Malmö.

 

Translation:
Item damaged by water in air crash off Copenhagen 29-12-47 .

 

 

 

 

Examples of mail

19471229 001a 19471229 001b 

Cover from France with metermark PARIS 27 DEC. 47 to Copenhagen with label type A-a.
Thiesen Collection.
19471229 002a 19471229 003a

Cover from France postmarked PARIS
27-12 47 to Copenhagen with label type A-h.
Thiesen Collection.

  Cover from France postmarked PARIS 27-12 47 to Copenhagen with label type A-f.
Thiesen Collection.
19471229 013a  

Cover from Marseille, France with illegible postmark addressed to Copenhagen, Denmark. The cover was forwarded in a neutral glassine service cover with label A-d. 
19471229 004a 19471229 007a

Cover from France postmarked TOURCOING NORD 27 XII 47 to Copenhagen with label type A-c.
Thiesen Collection.

Cover from Egypt postmarked CAIRO  ? DEC 1947 to Copenhagen with label type A-f.
Thiesen Collection.

Postcard from Algeria with illegible postmark to Copenhagen with label type A-e. The written text is partly smeared due to water damage.
Thiesen Collection.

Cover from Brazil postmarked SAO PAOLO 23 DEZ 47 to Copenhagen with label type A-h.
Thiesen Collection.
19471229 015a 19471229 015b

Cover from Brazil postmarked SAO PAULO 24 DEZ 47 to Aalborg, Denmark with label type  A-g.  
19471229 069a 19471229 069b

Cover from Paris, France with illegible postmark addressed to Stockholm. On the back is the Swedish label type C.
Aloni Collection.
19471229 070a 19471229 070b

Swedish service cover type 298 a which was used to forward a registered cover from Paris 27.12.1947 to a Swedish bank in Gothenburg.The cover was handled in Malmö and shows a violet handstamp MALMÖ 1 LUFTPOST dated 7 JAN 1948, and on the back are two wax seals MALMÖ 1 LUFTPOST and the Swedish label type C.
Ruud Collection. 

Cover from French Equatorial Africa postmarked  BRAZZAVILLE  27 DEC 47 to Saltsjöbaden, Sweden. The cover war forwarded with the Swedish label type C.
Ekenstierna Collection.
19471229 060a  

Cover from Brazil with illegible postmark to Gothenburg, Sweden with Swedish label type B.