On 28 August 1971, during a heavy rainstorm, the aircraft, an Ilyushin Il-18, registration HA-MOC, crashed into the sea about 600 meters off the north coast of Saltholm, about 10 kilometres from the airport.

[4] The 10-year-old aircraft had an uneventful journey over the Scandinavian Peninsula and then turned west over the Øresund strait to approach Denmark, where it was due to arrive at Copenhagen Airport.

Less than half a minute later, the aircraft crashed into the sea and broke into three pieces, with most of its passenger compartment submerged.

The lights inside were dimmed as usual, then suddenly I felt a great shaking, and then it was completely dark.

According to medical examinations, only four passengers and two crew members died from injuries sustained in the collision, the others from drowning.

[2] After the aircraft disappeared from radar and did not even respond to the controller's call, an alert was immediately issued and rescue boats were directed to the suspected scene.

It was only more than a decade later that the real cause of the disaster was discovered: a particularly dangerous form of wind shear, the so-called microburst, which was unknown in 1971.

An aircraft caught in the downdraft can descend up to 20–30 metres per second, with severe consequences on take-off or landing.

Today, special weather radar monitors are operating in the areas around the airports to avoid microbursts.