Investigation of serious aviation incident at Horgefjorden, Austevoll Municipality, Vestland County
During the return to Bergen Flesland after a local training flight on Thursday, 30 April 2026 with LN-FTQ, a Diamond DA 40 NG, the pilot entered low-level fog clouds and lost visual reference. The pilot, who did not have full instrument training (instrument rating), used his instruments to climb out of the clouds and landed safely.
When the pilot took off for his local training flight, there were fog clouds out in the sea outside Bergen. During the approximately 1 hour flight to and from Stord, the clouds moved inland towards the coast and covered the approach to Flesland.
The pilot was advised by the air traffic service to fly under the weather from Horgefjord. The pilot began the descent, but ended up in the fog clouds. At 400 ft above sea level, and without visual references, the pilot aborted the descent and climbed out of the clouds on instruments.
After a short time, an opening in the clouds was found close to the Sotra Bridge and the pilot was able to land without further incident. No one was injured in the incident.
The NSIA has opened an investigation to clarify what happened and identify contributing factors. The investigation will also assess areas for improving safety.
Latest update: 19.05.2026
Facts
| Location | Horgefjorden, Austevoll municipality |
| Occurrence date | 30.04.2026 |
| Aircraft | Other light aeroplane |
| Operator | Bergen Aero Klubb |
| Registration | LN-FTQ |
| Meteorological conditions | VMC |
| County | Vestland |
| Type of occurrence | Serious incident |
| Type of operation | Private (club) |
| Category of operation | Light, aeroplane (< 5 700kg) |
| Aircraft category | Landplane, Single-engine |