Investigation Summary
The flight was part of a humanitarian effort organized by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to bring Jewish children from North Africa to a sanitarium in Norway before their eventual immigration to Israel. Two aircraft departed Tunisia; while the first arrived safely, PH-TFA encountered technical issues and heavy weather. After a stop in Brussels for radio repairs, the flight continued toward Oslo. As the aircraft neared its destination, it encountered dense fog. A critical technical event occurred at 16:53 UTC: while the crew was attempting to receive a QDM bearing, the radio operator switched to battery power because the runway lights at Fornebu were activated, causing a radio outage that lasted several seconds. The crew, likely losing situational awareness regarding their exact position relative to the high terrain of the Hurum peninsula, descended too early. The aircraft's wing clipped a tree, and the plane traveled another 60 meters before impacting the mountain and overturning. The front of the fuselage was consumed by fire, but the tail section remained relatively intact, which contributed to the survival of the lone passenger.
Final Conclusions
The accident was a classic case of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT). The primary factors were the decision to continue a descent in heavy fog over mountainous terrain without positive confirmation of the aircraft's position. The technical history of the flight, specifically the radio repairs in Brussels, suggests that navigation equipment reliability may have played a role in the crew's inability to safely navigate the approach to Fornebu Airport.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Radio Navigation Equipment
The aircraft stopped in Brussels specifically to repair its radio, indicating previous malfunctions that may have hindered navigation in the fog.
Interesting Facts
- 01The crash was the second deadliest aviation accident in Norway at the time of its occurrence.
- 02The sole survivor, Itzhak Allal (later El Al), survived both the impact and two nights in sub-zero temperatures; sources vary on whether he was 11 or 12 years old.
- 03The victims included 28 children and 6 escorts/crew members (totaling 34 fatalities from 35 on board).
- 04The disaster led to a major fundraising effort in Norway to build the moshav Yanuv in Israel.
- 05A memorial featuring the Star of David and aircraft wreckage remains at the crash site in Hurum.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Humanitarian Memorialization
The Norwegian Labor Party initiated a fundraiser that funded the construction of the village of Yanuv in Israel to honor the victims.