30 years on, Selvík air crash still haunts survivors

Thirty years after a Danish military aircraft crashed at Selvík, killing all nine people on board, witnesses and relatives continue to remember the tragedy. Kringvarp Føroya reports that the crash left a deep mark on many people in the Faroe Islands.

Holgar Jacobsen from Sørvágur remembers the moment he learned that an aircraft had crashed and that nobody had survived.

“I was just paying at the checkout when the cashier’s phone rang. I immediately saw that something serious had happened. She began to cry, and she let out a scream that has stayed in my memory. I will never forget it,” he said.

On 3 August 1996, the Danish military aircraft Gulfstream III F-330 was flying to Vágar with defence chief Hans Jørgen Garde and his entourage, who were due to make an official visit to the Faroe Islands. The aircraft never reached the airport. During its approach through Sørvágsfjørður, it crashed into the mountain terrain at Selvík.

All nine people on board died, including four crew members and five passengers. The dead included Faroese co-pilot Djóni Askham. The crash remains the largest single aviation accident in the history of the Danish defence.

Although the aircraft belonged to the Danish military, the crash had a major impact in the Faroe Islands. Faroese volunteers, police officers, healthcare workers, firefighters and journalists were quickly at the scene, and the incident left a deep mark on many of them.

When Jacobsen saw the cashier receive the death notification at the FK shop in Miðvágur, he hurried home to Sørvágur. On the way, he saw a large cloud of smoke rising above Selvík.

“It was a terrible sight,” he recalled. When he later learned that the aircraft was a Danish military plane, he understood what the telephone conversation in the shop had been about.

Rescue teams found no survivors

The weather was poor that day. Low cloud, showers and strong winds made the approach difficult. The accident investigation commission later concluded that the crew had misjudged the weather conditions.

The first rescuers went to the scene hoping to find survivors. When they arrived, however, it became clear that nobody had survived. Their work therefore changed from rescue operations to securing the crash site.

“The smell of aviation fuel remains”

Ronnie Thomassen was among those who reached the crash site shortly after the incident. At the time, he worked as an assistant for Sjónvarp Føroya, the Faroese television broadcaster, and travelled with a television team to report on the crash.

When they left Tórshavn, they knew only that a military aircraft had gone down. On the journey west, they learned that it was a Gulfstream aircraft, but it was still unclear who had been on board.

“It was a helpless feeling to see the fire and smoke while not knowing what had happened,” Thomassen said.

He and the rest of the television crew were taken to the crash site by boat.

“What I remember best is the smell of aviation fuel. It is still deeply lodged in my memory.”

Despite the extremely difficult circumstances, he said the work was carried out with great respect for the dead and their relatives.

Crash prompted debate over media ethics

The crash also sparked a debate about ethics in Faroese journalism. Among the criticisms was the use of photographs of a pair of women’s shoes in news coverage. It later emerged that the shoes had belonged to the only female passenger.

“More information emerged later, so some decisions were made without all the knowledge we have today,” Thomassen said.

The crash also marked the beginning of greater awareness of how the media should work when reporting on accidents. Courses on accident reporting and ethical procedures were organised as early as the following year.

“I do not know how it would have been handled today. Society has changed a great deal. But one word describes my experience: respect. Respect for those who died and for their relatives.”

“The grief never disappears”

For the relatives, the memory remains. Hilda Kjølbro, who was Djóni Askham’s fiancée in 1996, described the crash as a terrible shock that changed her life.

She remembers Askham as a cheerful and talented young man who died far too young.

On the 30th anniversary of the crash, a memorial service was held in Sørvágur for the nine people who died. A church service also took place, followed by a ceremony at the memorial erected by Sørvágsfjørður five years ago to mark the 25th anniversary.

Thomassen said he remembers the day with sorrow, but also with great respect for those who responded to the crash.