News Newsarchive Deficient maintenance system caused aircraft accident 2010-03-10 It was an inadequate maintenance system for the checking of fatigue cracks which caused the accident when a Swedish Coastguard aircraft wing detached resulting in a crash into the Falsterbo canal in 2006. This type of aircraft also has an unsuitable design. So states the Swedish Accident Investigation Board (SHK) in its accident investigation report on why four people died. The accident investigation into this unusual aircraft accident outside Falsterbo, southern Sweden, is one of the most exhaustive ever performed by SHK. SHK has carried out detailed technical investigations and interviewed virtually every pilot who had flown the 20-year old aircraft. During the accident the left wing of the aircraft broke off due to fatigue cracking. The reason that these cracks had not been detected in time was due, according to SHK, to the fact that there was no adequate maintenance system in place which could detect and prescribe measures to prevent the growth of fatigue cracks. In the view of SHK it was also considered that the design of the wing attachment to the aircraft fuselage was unsuitable, since fairings between the aircraft fuselage and wing could transmit forces to the wings for which they were not intended. SHK is now pressing the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) to take measures to ensure that similar accidents do not occur to other aircraft of the same type that are still in service. CONTACT: Henrik Elinder Chief Accident Investigator Tel: +46 70 651 38 39 Göran Rosvall Investigation Chairman Tel: +46 8 508 862 20 Tomas Tolonen Public Information Officer Tel: +46 8 508 862 09 READ MORE Report RL 2010:01e Accident to aircraft SE-IVF at the northern basin of Falsterbo canal, Skåne County, on 26 October 2006 (pdf, 6 MB) Back