The bodies of two men, both experienced pilots, were finally recovered along with the wreckage of the small plane they were flying when it disappeared early last week in Western Norway. It took more than two days to locate the plane, an American Champion Super Decathlon, that’s best known for acrobatics and air tours.
Investigators think the two men, 61-year-old Tore Iversrud Marthinsen of Ringsaker and 74-year-old Ivar Harald Henriksen of Bergen, may have been trying to making a controlled landing when they crashed into Vinddalsvatnet at Os. They had sent out an emergency signal Tuesday afternoon, just before the plane went missing.
Its wreckage was found at a depth of 30 meters, after a lengthy search that involved the use of underwater robots and special equipment from the military. State broadcaster NRK reported that Henriksen was among the most experienced members of the Bergen Aero Klubb and was teaching Marthinsen how to carry out aerial loops when the accident occurred.
“This is a shock for us all,” club leader Bjørn Egenberg told NRK. “The weather was fine.” Marthinsen, meanwhile, was also an experienced pilot of small aircraft and leader of Innlandet Flyklubb in Hamar. Both clubs were in mourning after losing what they called “fantastic members.”
NewsinEnglish.no staff