Widerøe Flight 744
A Widerøe DHC-6, sister ship to the accident aircraft  | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 27 October 1993 | 
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error | 
| Site | Berg, Overhalla Municipality, Norway  64°29′20″N 11°42′30″E / 64.48889°N 11.70833°E  | 
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter | 
| Operator | Widerøe | 
| Registration | LN-BNM | 
| Flight origin | Trondheim Airport, Værnes | 
| Destination | Namsos Airport, Høknesøra | 
| Occupants | 19 | 
| Passengers | 17 | 
| Crew | 2 | 
| Fatalities | 6 | 
| Injuries | 13 | 
| Survivors | 13 | 
Widerøe Flight 744, also known as the Namsos Accident (Norwegian: Namsos-ulykken), was a scheduled flight of Widerøes Flyveselskap from Trondheim Airport, Værnes, via Namsos, to Rørvik Airport, Ryumsjøen, Norway. On 27 October 1993, the de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter serving the flight underwent a controlled flight into terrain during its approach to Namsos Airport, Høknesøra. The incident occurred at 19:16:48 and killed six of the nineteen people on board, including the crew of two. The aircraft crashed at Berg in Overhalla Municipality because it held too low an altitude.
Parallel investigations were carried out by Namdal Police District and the Accident Investigation Board for Civil Aviation (HSL). A conflict arose between the two as the latter in cooperation with the Norwegian Airline Pilots Association did not want a police investigation until after their report was finished. After two years in the courts, the police eventually gained access to evidence. The report found no technical problems with the aircraft. However, it found several pilot errors and laid a large responsibility on the airline for lack of proper organization and routines. No-one was charged after the accident, but it led to a major restructure of operations and procedures in Widerøe.