TF-RÁN (II)

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TF-RÁN
Other name(s) Rán
Type Sikorsky S-76A
Manufacturer Sikorsky
Construction number 760081
Registration TF-RAN
Owners and operators Icelandic Coast Guard
In service 1980-1983

TF-RÁN was a Sikorsky S-76A helicopter used by the Icelandic Coast Guard from 1980 to 1983.[1][2] It was named after Rán, the goddess and a personification of the sea from Norse mythology, and was the second Coast Guard aircraft to bear the name. It crashed in the sea in Jökulfirðir during a training mission in November 1983, killing all four crewmembers.[3] It remains the deadliest accident in the Icelandic Coast Guard history.

History[]

TF-RÁN was bought in 1980 for 1.6 million dollars and was delivered in September the same year.[4] It was the second specialized rescue helicopter in the history of the Icelandic Coast Guard, after the Sikorsky S-62 named TF-GNÁ. TF-RÁN's first rescue mission was on 18 November 1980, when it transported an ill lighthouse keeper from Hornstrandir to hospital in stormy weather conditions.[2]

On 31 October 1983, the crew of TF-RÁN rescued three survivors from the fishing vessel Haförn SH 22 after it sank in Breiðafjörður.[2]

On 8 November 1983, at 22:53, TF-RÁN took off from the ICGV Óðinn, which was stationed close to Höfðaströnd in Jökulfirðir, for a training flight. Three minutes later, a vague call was heard from the helicopter, and at the same time, crewmembers aboard Óðinn witnessed a flash in the distance. An extensive search began immediately by Óðinn and fishing boats in the area, as well from airplanes sent by the Civil Aviation Administration and the Icelandic Defense Force. At around 2 o'clock at night, the liner Orri found a wreck from the helicopter, which turned out to be parts of the helicopter's paddles, lifebelt and helmet.[5] The wreckage was found shortly before noon on 10 November at a depth of 82 meters, about half a mile nautical north of Höfðaströnd in Jökulfjörður.[6] From the 14th to the 15th of November, work was done to pull the wreckage to the surface of the motorboat Siggi Sveins. When it reached a depth of about 20 meters, a diving team started working on it and they found the bodies of two crew members in the helicopter, pilot Þórhallur Karlsson and flight engineer Bjarni Jóhannesson. The bodies of the other two men, captain Björn Jónsson and Sigurjón Ingi Sigurjónsson were not on board the helicopter.[7][8] The body of Sigurjón was found on 31 January 1989 when it came into the nets of shrimp boat Óli ÍS,[9][10] the same boat found the door of the helicopter in 1985 that was believed to have ripped off the helicopter and hit in the main rotor, causing the crash.[11][12]

References[]

  1. ^ "Bjargaði 11 mönnum í 5 björgunarflugum". Tíminn (in Icelandic). 10 November 1983. p. 2. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Stutt æfingaflug sem endaði með skelfingu". Sjómannablaðið Víkingur (in Icelandic). 1 June 1997. pp. 34–36. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  3. ^ Guðbrandur Jónsson (1 May 1986). "Leyndardómurinn bakvið Landhelgisgæslu Íslands og þyrluslysið á TF-RÁN". Morgunblaðið. pp. 18–19. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Rán heitir nýja þyrla gæzlunnar - væntanleg til landsins eftir viku". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 17 September 1980. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Þúst kom inn á dýptarmæla". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 10 November 1983. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Neðansjávarmyndavélin staðfesti fund flaksins". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 11 November 1983. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Þyrlan komin upp á tuttugu metra dýpi". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 15 November 1983. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Samvinna allra aðila varð til þess að þyrlunni var bjargað". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 16 November 1983. pp. 35, 36. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Rækjubátur fékk lík í trollið". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 10 February 1989. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Líkfundurinn í Jökulfjörðum". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 10 February 1989. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Ekki séð að hurðin breyti niðurstöðum". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 8 May 1985. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Hurðin er óskemmd en í henni er skurður". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 20 April 1985. p. 56. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
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