Report on run-off-the-road accident with a military vehicle on E10 at Taraldsvika in Tjeldsund county on 29 March 2022
Defence report 2023/03
The run-off-the-road accident occurred when a convoy of vehicles was travelling from Andøya to Bogen following the exercise Cold Response 2022. The accident occurred as a consequence of the combination of a light utility vehicle towing a trailer-mounted generator, deceleration, slippery roadway, and the driver's limited experience in this situation. The driver and passenger sustained minor injuries. The investigation has shown that several organisational barriers at different levels related to the exercise, the assignment and the transport could have helped to prevent the accident. The driver had very limited driving experience, both of light utility vehicles and trailers. The planning and risk management of the transport assignment were inadequate. The division of responsibility, leadership and procedures were all unclear to the personnel carrying out the assignment. Also, the Air Force had not followed up the unit, which was activated for the first time in connection with the exercise.
Photo: Norwegian Armed Forces
The driver had no further training other than the Armed Forces’ driving permit issued eight years ago, and had very limited driving experience of both light utility vehicles and trailers. The driver was therefore not aware of the consequences of braking a light utility vehicle towing a trailer under slippery road conditions.
The investigation has also shown that the order and risk assessment for the driving assignment was inadequate considering the soldiers’ limited experience of military procedure, and that this contributed to traffic safety issues not being sufficiently addressed. When the assignment was being planned, sufficient emphasis was not placed on whether the drivers were qualified for the transport they were tasked with carrying out. The light utility vehicle driver had also reported that the person in question lacked the qualifications to drive the light utility vehicle and trailer combination, but this was not perceived as sufficiently critical by the staff planning the convoy.
The division of responsibility, leadership and procedures for the assignment were also unclear, among other things because the role of convoy commander had not been clarified. The briefing before the convoy set out did not include procedures for when a vehicle in the convoy stops or the possible use of snow chains. The NSIA considers that the lack of clarity regarding command structure, roles and procedures, as well as the limited opportunities for communication, contributed to allowing undesirable situations to arise.
The investigation has shown unfortunate consequences when a staff on exercise together for the first time is charged with preparing orders for an activity that the soldiers who will be carrying out the activity, have limited familiarity with. The Air Force Staff, which approved Logistics Base Air (LBLu)’s activation of the whole unit for the first time, did not follow up LBLu while the orders were being drawn up before the exercise or during the exercise itself. Safety issues were mentioned in orders at several levels, and a general transport-related risk assessment was carried out for Cold Response 2022 as a whole. However, the safety issues were not sufficiently emphasised in practice and did not improve the soldiers’ safety during the transport from Andøya to Bogen.
Based on this investigation, the NSIA submits three safety recommendations.
Safety recommendation
Safety recommendation Defence No 2023/07T
The accident involving a military vehicle travelling as part of a convoy on 29 March 2022 occurred when the driver lost control of the light utility vehicle towing a trailer-mounted generator on the E10 road in Tjeldsund municipality. The driver and passenger sustained minor injuries. The investigation has shown that the driver held a driving licence for category B, while the combined maximum authorised mass of the vehicle and trailer required a category BE licence. A special provision in the Driving Licence Regulations permits a vehicle combination requiring a category BE licence to be driven by military personnel holding a category B driving licence in combination with an Armed Forces’ driving permit. The driver had no further training other than the Armed Forces’ driving permit issued eight years ago, and also had very limited experience of both light utility vehicles and trailers.
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that the Norwegian Armed Forces ensure that drivers have up-to-date qualifications and continuity to ensure safety, particularly when the Driving Licence Regulations’ special provision is used.
Safety recommendation Defence No 2023/08T
The accident involving a military vehicle travelling as part of a convoy on 29 March 2022 occurred when the driver lost control of the light utility vehicle towing a trailer-mounted generator on the E10 road in Tjeldsund municipality. The driver and passenger sustained minor injuries. The investigation has shown that the order and risk assessment for the road transport assignment were inadequate, despite the fact that procedures for this are in place, and that this contributed to traffic safety issues not being sufficiently addressed. The staff had failed to require recipients to read back that the assignment was understood, and also to require the driving assignment to be planned in detail. The division of responsibility, leadership and procedures for carrying out the assignment were also unclear.
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that the Norwegian Armed Forces follow up that traffic safety issues are addressed when the Air Force develops assignments and exercises involving road transport.
Safety recommendation Defence No 2023/09T
The accident involving a military vehicle travelling as part of a convoy on 29 March 2022 occurred when the driver lost control of the light utility vehicle towing a trailer-mounted generator on the E10 road in Tjeldsund municipality. The driver and passenger sustained minor injuries. The investigation has shown that the order for the transport assignment was inadequate in light of the fact that the soldiers who were called in for refresher training had limited experience of military procedure, and that this contributed to traffic safety considerations not being sufficiently addressed. The staff of the Logistics Base Air (LBLu), who drew up the order, had not trained together before, and one of the objectives of Cold Response 2022 was to provide training for the staff and develop plans and procedures. The Air Force Staff approved LBLu’s activation of the whole unit for the first time but had not followed up the unit.
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that the Norwegian Armed Forces implement systematic follow-up and evaluation of units that train under new framework conditions, particularly when conscripts are involved.
Facts
| Location | Taraldsvika in Tjeldsund muncipality, Troms and Finnmark county |
| Occurrence date | 29.03.2022 |
| Category of Occurrence | Accident |
| Defence branch | Norwegian Air Force |