Report on shooting accident at Mågerø military area on 30 November 2021
Defence report 2022/01
The shooting accident at Mågerø on 30 November 2021 occurred as a result of live ammunition being fired during a two-sided exercise with personnel from several units, also from the Swedish Armed Forces. The exercise was to be carried out with blanks or with an empty weapon. The soldier who fired the weapon was not aware that the weapon was loaded with live ammunition. The projectile hit a conscript soldier who suffered a very serious injury. The investigation has focused on how and why it was not discovered that the weapon was loaded with live ammunition, as well as the organization of the exercise and relevant safety regulations. There is an identified need for the Norwegian Armed Forces to improve practice and introduce measures to prevent accidental discharge with live ammunition.
Investigation findings substantiate that the ammunition had been left in the weapon’s chamber since the day the soldier had been on a shooting range approximately two weeks before the accident, that the soldier did not carry out any actions with the weapon’s mechanism after this, and that the weapon was loaded. The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority (NSIA) believes that the combination of an automated pattern of action and the fact that there was a live ammunition in the chamber, which the soldier did not know about, contributed to the accident occurring. In addition, relevant safety regulations were not complied with or followed up.
The investigation has shown that a soldier with long experience of handling weapons in the Armed Forces can make mistakes, either by forgetting to check their own weapon or not checking well enough. The Norwegian Armed Forces is in the process of testing technical solutions to prevent accidental discharge with live ammunition. The NSIA believes that in the meanwhile, risk assessments and other barriers must be introduced. The Norwegian Armed Forces should also improve the practice for coordination and compliance with relevant safety regulations during exercises with weapons.
Based on this investigation, the NSIA submits two safety recommendations.
This report is in Norwegian only.
Published 15.08.2022
Safety recommendation
Safety recommendation Defence No 2022/01T
The shooting accident at Mågerø on 30 November 2021 occurred as a result of live ammunition being fired during a two-sided exercise with personnel from several units, also from the Swedish Armed Forces. The exercise was to be carried out with blanks or with no ammunition in the chamber or magazine. The soldier who fired the weapon was not aware that the weapon was loaded with live ammunition. The Norwegian Armed Forces has procedures that contribute to compliance with the Norwegian security regulations during major exercises with several actors and nations. However, this was not practiced during the smaller exercise where the accident occurred. The investigation has shown that the relevant safety regulations were not complied with or followed up.
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that the Norwegian Armed Forces improve practices for coordination and compliance with relevant safety regulations during exercises with handguns.
Safety recommendation Defence No 2022/02T
The shooting accident at Mågerø on 30 November 2021 occurred as a result of live ammunition being fired during a two-sided exercise with personnel from several units, also from the Swedish Armed Forces. The exercise was to be carried out with blanks or with no ammunition in the chamber or magazine. The soldier who fired the weapon was not aware that it was loaded with live ammunition. The investigation has shown that the Norwegian Armed Forces is in the process of testing various technical solutions to prevent accidental discharge, but this work has not been completed. NSIA believes that weapons loaded with live ammunition should be part of risk assessments, and a practice for inspection of weapons and equipment should be ensured during two-sided exercises in the Norwegian Armed Forces.
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that the Norwegian Armed Forces, pending any technical solutions, introduce risk assessments and barriers that prevent accidental discharge with live ammunition during two-sided exercises.
Facts
| Location | Mågerø in Færder muncipality, Vestfold and Telemark county |
| Occurrence date | 30.11.2021 |
| Category of Occurrence | Accident |
| Defence branch | The Norwegian Special Forces |