Swedish accident investigators have recovered the two flight recorders from the West Atlantic CRJ200 that crashed in northern Sweden late on the night of 7 January, killing both crew members.
The aircraft, operated by Gothenburg-based European parcel and mail carrier West Air Sweden, was 20 minutes into a flight from Oslo to Tromsö, Norway, when the pilots declared an emergency.
Shortly afterwards the aircraft disappeared from radar and was later found to have crashed in mountains on the Swedish side of the Norwegian border, 200km from Gällivare.
The Swedish Accident Investigation Authority said it may take several weeks to recover information from the heavily damaged flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.
The aircraft, a CRJ200PF (package freighter), was carrying 4.5 tonnes of mail for the Norwegian postal service, Posten Norge.
West Atlantic Group was formed in 2011 as a holding company for two European cargo airlines, West Air Sweden and UK-based Atlantic Airlines. The group is Europe’s largest parcel and mail charter carrier and had a fleet of 49 aircraft as of December, including 33 BAe ATPs, 14 Boeing 767s and 737s and two CRJ200s, the second of which has been grounded.
West Air Europe was Bombardier’s first customer for the freighter conversion of the CRJ200, ordering its two pre-owned regional jets in 2006. The aircraft that crashed was built in 1993.
