| Crash site | Öresund, Sweden |
| Airline | SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System) |
| Aircraft | Vickers 628 Viking – OY-DLU – Torlak Viking |
| Route | Madrid – Paris/Le Bourget – Copenhagen |
| Crew | 5 – no survivors |
| Passengers | 23 – no survivors |
The crash
The plane was operating the first flight on a new route between Spain and Denmark. The plane left Paris on schedule at 17:10 and when getting closer to Copenhagen at 20:01 the pilot was informed that the airport was closed for all inbound traffic due to bad weather. The flight was advised to enter a holding pattern near Copenhagen. At 20:31 the flight was given permission to land on runway 22. At 20:56 the plane crashed in the sea 18 km north-east of Copenhagen airport close to the Swedish coast west of Barsebäck.
Despite intensive search operations the wreck was first located on 8 March – one month after the crash. The wreck was salvaged on 16 March, but during the transport to Copenhagen the plane broke and only a part of the wreck could be recovered and brought into Copenhagen.
The mail
The plane carried mail from Spain addressed to Denmark. As mentioned above the wreck was first located on 8.3.1949. The few items I have seen from this crash are all forwarded with a label dated 25.2.1949, which indicate that at least one mail bag must have been salvaged before the wreck was found.
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 “Torlak Vikings” air crash on 8 February 1949. THE REEXPEDITION POST OFFICE COPENHAGEN V”. 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 2 variations in the arranging of the text:
A-a.
Size textblock: 72 x 22 mm.
A-b.
Size textblock: 72 x 22 mm.
The 3rd line starts more to the right.
Service Covers
The mail was usually forwarded in a standard Danish service cover type J. 6 (9-47) or J 7 (9-47).
Examples of mail
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Registered cover from Spain postmarked CERTIFICADO LA CORUNA -5 FEB 49 to Ringsted, Denmark. The cover was forwarded with label type A-a in a service cover. |
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Cover from Spain postmarked VALENCIA with illegible date to Copenhagen. Forwarded with label type A-b. |
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Cover from Spain postmarked VALENCIA 7 FE …. to Copenhagen. Forwarded with label type A-b in a service cover. |
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