Crash site | Mariehamn airport, Finland |
Airline | Finnish Airlines (Finnair) |
Aircraft | Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3) – OH-LCA |
Route | Helsinki – Turku – Mariehamn |
Crew | 3 – 1 survivor |
Passengers | 22 – 2 survivors |
The crash
The plane operated a domestic flight from Helsinki to Mariehamn, Åland with a stop at Turku.
The plane took off from Turku at 18:20 and at 18:57 the crew reported that they were ready for landing. Two minutes later the plane struck some trees 1.470 meters before the start of the runway. The plane flipped over and caught fire.The entire fuselage was destroyed by fire except the rear section which had broken off on impact.
The crash investigators concluded that the pilots might have misjudged the altitude or position (perhaps due to an altimeter error).
The mail
According to a Finnish report the plane carried 789 kg of cargo and mail. Due to the fierce fire it is doubtful whether any mail could be recovered.
Examples of mail