[Aviation history is saturated with tales of remarkable a/c, and also remarkable incidents...small and big...tragic and uplifting...well-known and forgotten. And the internet is an incredible resource and treasure-trove of such stories and events. While lately reviewing a bit, the history of Douglas and McDonnell Douglas companies, one thing led to another, and I came across a little (RW) aviation incident that occurred back in the winter of 1973, in Norway, on the ice-covered surface of Oslofjord bay, roughly 5 miles west of (current) Oslo Airport (ENGM), off the (now decommissioned) Oslo-Fornebu Airport (FBU/ENFB) ...]

The DC-9 was a trend-setter a/c... a truly pioneering (fresh) design from Douglas, its first "small", twin-engined, single-aisle, two-crew, jet-plane, following on the heels of success of the (quad-jet) Douglas DC-8. By then, the DC-8 had proved its worth against the B707, but the (popular) B727 was ahead and already in service. The smaller (twin-engined) DC9s would compete with the entrenched (trijet) B727, and, later on, the larger DC9s would go on to compete with the B737 that was yet to take first flight...2 years after DC9. Since then, the DC9 and its derivatives (MD-80/MD-90/B717) have continued to fly for nearly 60 years...to the present day...! I feel I must have travelled in one of last DC9s of Delta. The airline (officially) retired all of its remaining DC9s on January 6, 2014, and I'd travelled in a Delta DC-9 in the December of 2013... (I recall because it was a trip to Disney World, Orlando) ...Alas a powerful Hurricane is nearing the same Orlando area for landfall, today...as I write this...

Exploring Douglas/McDonnell-Douglas a/c would be incomplete w/o mention of SAS, one of the (diehard) and most loyal customers of this a/c manufacturer. SAS has operated every Douglas and McDonnell Douglas type since the DC-3...! SAS introduced, into service, DC-9-20 (21) and also DC-9-40 (41). The DC-9-20, subject a/c of this post, is special. McDonnell Douglas made this special DC9 when they created a customized version of it just for SAS (with the fuselage of DC9-10, and the more powerful engines and the improved wings of DC9-30). So, here was a plane, the wingspan of which was just within ~10 ft of its length... (see my pictures, below, for the large wings and the small fuselage...). 10 total units were built and all 10 went to SAS. In this post, I recall the short (useful) life span (only 4 years long) of one specific (SAS) DC-9-21 (LN-RLM), named "Reidar Viking". Please note, however, the a/c I fly, here, for this post, is, instead, (OY-KIE) "Skate Viking", but otherwise of identical make/model/livery as the DC9 of my story...

On the night of 30 January 1973, at 11:18pm, the DC-9 (LN-RLM), "Reidar Viking", operating SAS flight SK370, was cleared for takeoff from Rwy 24, departing Oslo-Fornebu (ENFB) for a flight to Alta (ENAT) with an intermediate stop at Tromsø (ENTC). The takeoff run was normal, and the DC-9 duly rotated (lifting its nose from the Rwy) at VR (125kts). At that moment the stall warning system activated (see e.g., the STALL WARNING LIGHT, in the Flightdeck images below, on the Captain's Glareshield, to the left of the two (MASTER CAUTION / MASTER WARNING) lights). Although the speed had increased to 140 knots, the pilots decided to abort the takeoff. However, the remaining 3,600 feet of available runway was not enough to bring the aircraft to a halt. The reversers did not deploy completely, and the aircraft overran the runway and onto the ice-covered surface of (nearby) Oslofjord bay. For my curiosity, I queried the internet, "Does Oslofjord freeze?", and it replied, "Fjords generally don't freeze over in winter. But the innermost sections of some fjords, such as the Oslofjord..., may freeze over under particular circumstances...". Anyway, apparently, the DC-9 came to rest, on the (solid) frozen surface of the bay, ~65 ft from the bank of the fjord. A full evacuation of the passengers was initiated by the crew. All occupants were rescued before the plane broke through the ice and sank 20 minutes later...! Thus, this DC9, built in Long Beach, CA, and only 4.1 years old at the time, met its (premature) death in the icy depths of Oslofjord (Norway). The airframe was later extricated, but was damaged beyond repair, and had to be written-off...but most importantly and honorably, "Reidar Viking" DC9 did not carry away any lives with it, there was "0" fatality among the total of 33 occupants on board (4 Crew and 29 Pax). Interestingly, the cockpit center console of the DC9 is now in use in the "flight simulator" at the SAS Museum, for us virtual aviators (like me) to muse on...and pretend to be DC9 pilots...🙂...
 
Accident Investigation revealed that ice had accumulated in the pitot tubes. It was also determined that the speed of the aircraft was correct but that the stall warning light was triggered following an error on the computer that misinterpreted some parameters transmitted by the Pitot tubes... (You can spot the pitot tubes of the DC9, mounted on top of the nose radome, in a few of my images below). The incident (referred to as "Fornebu accident") is not even considered worthy of mention in the DC9 Wiki page, in the list of DC9 accidents. Nonetheless, I thought, it was a remarkable incidence, worthy of recall, especially, with a such feel-good ending...!

Of course, my flight, here, from (ENGM) Oslo Gardermoen (Oslo-Fornebu (ENFB) airport being non-existent) to (ENTC) Tromsø Airport, is absolutely normal, uneventful, and devoid of any mishaps at all...My pitot tubes and the pitot heaters, didn't malfunction....🙂...while I track northward across Norway to one of the northernmost cities in Norway. This is a complete flight. Hope you enjoy this account and the below collection of pictures of this unique (-21) variant of one of the most endearing planes in the history of aviation, in the SAS colors...

Thanks for your interest...!!

Interesting story and flight. Especially since I actually was aboard a real life reversal (Tromso to Fornebu) of your flight on a SAS DC-9 in 1987. Can't recall if it was a -20; there were DC-9's of several lengths boarding in Tromso on that evening.

John

Edited September 29, 20223 yr by John F

Terrific set of shots Sir , my first flight was on a DC3 and the next one I took was a DC-9 . 

Edited September 29, 20223 yr by johnbow72

Excellent set of shots! 😉 

Fine set Sir, as always !

cheers 😉

Friends, Many thanks for the comments...🙂...!!

 

On 9/28/2022 at 10:44 PM, John F said:

Interesting story and flight. Especially since I actually was aboard a real life reversal (Tromso to Fornebu) of your flight on a SAS DC-9 in 1987. Can't recall if it was a -20; there were DC-9's of several lengths boarding in Tromso on that evening.

John

What a coincidence...🙂..., John...? Glad to know of your Tromsø/SAS experience...SAS seems to have operated over 70 DC-9s, of all types (or of several lengths...🙂..., as you said...).

BTW Tromsø arrival/departure must be quite spectacular in RW, my 2 images, above of the ILS approach into ENTC, of course, being far far from the "real" thing...that you have actually witnessed...

What addon are you using for these screen shots?

Thanks,

Rich

Very nice pics, P_7878. I love these older Douglas planes, my favorite is the DC-8 😉

7 hours ago, bernd1151 said:

Very nice pics, P_7878. I love these older Douglas planes, my favorite is the DC-8 😉

Appreciated the comment, bernd...!! And agree about the DC-8, I recall you've flown that one here a couple of times....🙂....

 

10 hours ago, richjb2 said:

What addon are you using for these screen shots?

Thanks,

Rich

Hi Richard: 

Thanks for your interest and inquiry...!

First about the a/c: The (FSX) DC-9 in this post is from "Sky Simulations". Look for more details (and system requirements) on either Just Flight or Sim Market websites. One good thing about this package is that in includes all the DC-9 variants (-10/-10F/-20/-30/-30F/-40/-50). Shown here is the (-20) variant, and the (-10) variant is shown in my other post today on (MD-87).

I also recall CoolSky/Flight1 had an excellent DC-9 package for FSX/P3D (I believe, not sure, for the -30 variant only), I used to own that one, but not at the moment. Please check their website for further details. BTW, you can download from their website, free, the CoolSky DC-9 Aircraft Operating and User Manuals....well-written documentation...makes for interesting reading...

These a/c are such interesting classics, but not easily found nor on the list of recent developers, unfortunately....

And I'm using Orbx (Norway) scenery, here. Orbx has an ENTC/Tromsø for MSFS too... (Here, I've not used any (FSX) add-on for ENTC, maybe I should...)

PM me if you need more information...! Cheers...!

14 hours ago, P_7878 said:

Appreciated the comment, bernd...!! And agree about the DC-8, I recall you've flown that one here a couple of times....🙂....

 

Hi Richard: 

Thanks for your interest and inquiry...!

First about the a/c: The (FSX) DC-9 in this post is from "Sky Simulations". Look for more details (and system requirements) on either Just Flight or Sim Market websites. One good thing about this package is that in includes all the DC-9 variants (-10/-10F/-20/-30/-30F/-40/-50). Shown here is the (-20) variant, and the (-10) variant is shown in my other post today on (MD-87).

I also recall CoolSky/Flight1 had an excellent DC-9 package for FSX/P3D (I believe, not sure, for the -30 variant only), I used to own that one, but not at the moment. Please check their website for further details. BTW, you can download from their website, free, the CoolSky DC-9 Aircraft Operating and User Manuals....well-written documentation...makes for interesting reading...

These a/c are such interesting classics, but not easily found nor on the list of recent developers, unfortunately....

And I'm using Orbx (Norway) scenery, here. Orbx has an ENTC/Tromsø for MSFS too... (Here, I've not used any (FSX) add-on for ENTC, maybe I should...)

PM me if you need more information...! Cheers...!

Thanks!!  

I might give the Sky Simulations DC 9 a try.  I always liked that airplane from the old days of Ozark airlines.  Hope they bring it to MSFS in the future!

Thanks again!

Rich

Rich:

Agree with your sentiments for this airplane, and good luck with your endeavors for it, in the SIM...!!

BTW, I didn't find a Sky Simulations "Ozark" DC-9 but, for your interest, found one (freeware) Ozark Airlines DC-9, shown below, from the HJG website. It's a (-40) variant.

Fine article and shots!

Appreciated much the comment...!!

Hope MSFS folks would soon get a good DC-9, a plane w/ such (unique) Douglas (jet) aura.... plus, incredible variety in variants to keep wannabe pilots, like me, engaged...🙂...