Linjeflyg Flight 618 was a crash of a Vickers 838 Viscount during approach to Stockholm Bromma Airport at 09:05 on 15 January 1977. All twenty-two people on board the aircraft perished when it hit ground at

Kälvesta Kälvesta is a suburban district in the Hässelby-Vällingby borough in western Stockholm. Most of Kälvesta was built during the late 1960s and the 1970s. Kälvesta has two middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junio ...

in Stockholm, Sweden. The domestic service from

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

via

Kristianstad Kristianstad ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 41,198 inhabitants in 2023. Since the 1990s, the city has gone from being a garrison town to a developed commercial city, ...

Växjö Växjö () is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden. It had 71,282 inhabitants (2020) out of a Municipalities of Sweden, municipal population of 97,349 (2024). It is the administrative, cultural, and industrial ce ...

and

Jönköping Jönköping (, ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in southern Sweden with 112,766 inhabitants (2022). Jönköping is situated on the southern shore of Sweden's second largest lake, Vättern, in the province of Småland. The city is the seat o ...

was operated by

Skyline A skyline is the wikt:outline, outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city's overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural area, rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the ...

on behalf of

Linjeflyg Linjeflyg was a Swedish domestic airline, formed in 1957 as a domestic subsidiary by Scandinavian Airlines System and Airtaco as well as by newspaper publishers Dagens Nyheter AB and Stockholms-Tidningen AB. History Airtaco (founded in August ...

as part of the latter's domestic scheduled services. The accident was caused by atmospheric icing on the horizontal stabilizer. Low power on two of the engines had caused reduced function of the ice protection system, causing a buildup of ice. The icing caused the loss of pitch control and the aircraft entered a steep dive. Among the deceased was table tennis player Hans Alsér.

Flight

Because of delays of the delivery of their new

Fokker F28 Fellowship The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a twin-engined, short-range jet airliner designed and built by Netherlands, Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. Following the Fokker F27 Friendship, an early and commercially successful turboprop-powered regional air ...

aircraft, Linjeflyg started in 1975 to wet lease flights from Skyline. The airline operated three Vickers Viscount aircraft in this period, using their own crew and aircraft, but with Linjeflyg's flight codes and chartered for an hourly fee. During the late 1970s Linjeflyg accounted for the vast majority of Skyline's revenue. Skyline Vickers Viscount Soderstrom

Flight 618 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight on 15 January 1977. It was conducted using a Vickers 838 Viscount with registration SE-FOZ. The aircraft was bought used by Skyline in 1976 to replace an existing, smaller Viscount 784. With a first flight in 1961, it had flown 12,208 hours at the time of the accident. Flight 618 was to fly from Malmö Sturup Airport to Stockholm Bromma Airport, with intermediate stops at Kristianstad Airport,

Växjö Småland Airport Växjö () is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden. It had 71,282 inhabitants (2020) out of a municipal population of 97,349 (2024). It is the administrative, cultural, and industrial centre of Kronoberg County ...

and Jönköping Airport. The flight commenced as nominal until descent to Bromma. At this time there were nineteen passengers and a crew of three on board, including the well-known table tennis player Hans Alsér.

Accident

During flight the number two and three engines were run at reduced power for a prolonged period, causing the ice protection system temperature to sink below minimum thresholds. The horizontal stabilizer was therefore subject to atmospheric icing. The pilots noticed this at an altitude of when they experienced loss of pitch control. The aircraft entered a steep dive and crashed at a parking lot in Kälvesta, a neighborhood of Stockholm. The impact took place at 09:05 local time, from the threshold of the runway at Bromma. All on board were killed in the crash.

Investigation

A full investigation into the cause of the accident was ordered by the

Government of Sweden The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden () is the Cabinet (government), national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's Executive (government), executive authority. The Government consists of the Prime Minister of Sweden, Prime Minister and their ...

. The investigation came to the following conclusions:

Aftermath

One issue after the accident was the relationship between Linjeflyg and Skyline. The small size of the latter was a concern, without the apparatus to handle a major accident. Linjeflyg took most of the immediate handling of the issue as it was their flight. Skyline leased a Viscount 814D, with registration G-AZNH, as replacement for the wrecked aircraft. This arrangement lasted for some months, before Skyline's contract with Linjeflyg was terminated due to the delivery of the F28s. Shortly afterwards Skyline filed for bankruptcy.

Victims

Victims of Linjeflyg Flight 618 included:

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Sten Holmstedt, 45, Genarp; Stewardess Pia Marlow, 28,

; First officer Björn Björnsson, 33,

Nacka Nacka () is the municipal seat of Nacka Municipality and part of Stockholm urban area in Sweden. The municipality's name harks back to a 16th-century industrial operation established by the Crown at Nacka farmstead where conditions for water mi ...

; Hans Alsér, 34,

Borås Borås ( , , ) is a city (officially, a locality) and the seat of Borås Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 114,556 inhabitants in 2024. It is widely known for being a textile city, home to worldwide brands and companie ...

; Rolf H. Stjernswärd, Vittskövle Castle; Mrs Inger Stjernswärd, Vittskövle Castle;

Dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...

Jan-Erik Milton,

; Glazier Yngve Rosén,

; Sales manager Sven Gunnar Lundvall,

Sundsvall Sundsvall () is a city and the seat of Sundsvall Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden. It has a population of 58,807 as of 2020; more than 95,000 live in the municipal area. It is Sweden's 21st largest city by population. Old town i ...

; Mats Adolfsson,

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

; Sven Östen Albertsson (born 1913),

; Inge Vilgot Andersson (born 1926), Farsta; Monica Hansson (born 1941), Åhus; Stig Olof Jonsson (born 1951),

; Sven Olof Myresten (born 1933), Bankeryd; Arne Palm (born 1918),

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

; Berndt Yngve Göran Persson (born 1928), Farsta; Anna Niemi (born 1901), Järvenpää, Finland; Tage Bertil Nordqvist (born 1936), Huskvarna; Gunnar Sahlberg (born 1935), ; Arne Magnus Somero (born 1958), Smålandsstenar; Rolf Henning (born 1916), Vittskövle, Degeberga; Per Kasper Tham,

Saltsjöbaden Saltsjöbaden is a locality in Nacka Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 9,491 inhabitants in 2010. It is on the Baltic Sea coast, deep in the Stockholm Archipelago. History Saltsjöbaden () was developed as a resort by Knut Agathon W ...

Flight

Accident

Investigation

Aftermath

Victims

References

Further reading