Hurum air disaster
Encyclopedia
The Hurum air disaster was an Aero Holland
plane crash in Hurum
southwest of Oslo
, Norway
as it was approaching Fornebu Airport on 20 November 1949.
The plane, a Douglas DC-3 with registration
PH-TFA was en route from Brussels-Zaventem Airport
. Among the 30 passengers on board were 26 Jewish children from Tunisia
on their way to Norway, as an intermediary stop before making aliyah
, the return to Israel
. The plane crashed into the forest at 16:56, and 34 of the 35 people on board perished. A 12-year old boy named Isaac Allal was the only survivor.
The crash was the second deadliest air disaster in Norway at that time, exceeded only by the 35 deaths in the 1947 Kvitbjørn disaster
. Public sympathy ran high, and the leader of the Norwegian Labor Party, Håkon Lie
started a fundraiser to build a Norwegian village in Israel called Moshav Norge
.
A memorial to the victims has been raised at the crash site. It is symbolically fenced and decorated with Stars of David
. Parts of the wreckage are also at the memorial.
Aero Holland
Aero Holland is a defunct airline from the Netherlands. It started operations in 1949 and ceased in 1953. On 20 November 1949, 34 people were killed in the Hurum air disaster when an Aero Holland Douglas DC-3 crashed at Hurum, Norway....
plane crash in Hurum
Hurum
Hurum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village Klokkarstua. The municipality of Hurum was established on 1 January 1838 . The small village of Holmsbu was granted town status in 1847, but it did not become a municipality of its own...
southwest of Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
as it was approaching Fornebu Airport on 20 November 1949.
The plane, a Douglas DC-3 with registration
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
PH-TFA was en route from Brussels-Zaventem Airport
Brussels Airport
Brussels Airport is an international airport northeast of Brussels, Belgium. The airport is partially in Zaventem and partially in the Diegem area of Machelen, both located in the Flemish Region of Belgium.Brussels Airport currently consists of 54 contact gates, and a total of 109 gates...
. Among the 30 passengers on board were 26 Jewish children from Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
on their way to Norway, as an intermediary stop before making aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
, the return to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The plane crashed into the forest at 16:56, and 34 of the 35 people on board perished. A 12-year old boy named Isaac Allal was the only survivor.
The crash was the second deadliest air disaster in Norway at that time, exceeded only by the 35 deaths in the 1947 Kvitbjørn disaster
Kvitbjørn disaster
The Kvitbjørn disaster occurred on 28 August 1947 when, in heavy fog, the Norwegian Air Lines Short Sandringham flying boat Kvitbjørn, registered LN-IAV, hit a mountain close to Lødingsfjellet in Lødingen, southern Tjeldsundet, Norway....
. Public sympathy ran high, and the leader of the Norwegian Labor Party, Håkon Lie
Haakon Lie
Haakon Lie was a Norwegian politician who served as party secretary for the Norwegian Labour Party from 1945 to 1969. Coming from humble origins, he became involved in the labour movement at an early age, and quickly rose in the party system...
started a fundraiser to build a Norwegian village in Israel called Moshav Norge
Yanuv
Yanuv is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the Sharon plain near Netanya and Tulkarm, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lev HaSharon Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 784....
.
A memorial to the victims has been raised at the crash site. It is symbolically fenced and decorated with Stars of David
Star of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
. Parts of the wreckage are also at the memorial.