West Atlantic CRJ200 cargo aircraft crashes in Sweden

A West Atlantic Bombardier CRJ200 converted freighter crashed in Sweden near the Norwegian border after disappearing from radar during a mail transport flight. Swedish authorities said the aircraft, found in a mountainous region, was destroyed. According to Gothenburg-based West Atlantic, a European mail and express freight carrier, the CRJ200PF was en route from Oslo to Tromso, Norway late on Jan. 7. At 11:31 p.m. local time, just over 20 minutes after taking off, the pilots of flight PT294 declared mayday; the aircraft then disappeared from radar and lost contact with air traffic control. At 3:10 a.m. on Jan. 8, the crash site, near Lake Akkajaure, was located by the Norwegian air force. Swedish police and rescue teams reached the site later in the day. There were two pilots aboard the aircraft who had flown for West Atlantic since 2008 and 2011, respectively, according to the company. The CRJ200 was originally manufactured in 1993 and has 31,036 flight cycles. The cause of the crash is unknown.<br/>