- Jul 23, 2018
- 4,187
Government of Sweden
Löfven Administration
To whom it may concern,
I write to you on behalf of the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority, a government authority tasked with investigating accidents and incidents with the vision of improving safety. Our authority is responsible for the investigation of civil maritime transport, road traffic, civil aviation, military and rail accidents and incidents. The civil aviation branch investigates events that have occurred in Sweden however we will also investigate occurrences abroad if involving a Swedish registered aircraft unless otherwise stipulated in any international agreements.
Over the past twenty-four hours we have received a number of third-party reports suggesting that an airliner has been shot down over Congo, some reports now suggesting that this aircraft is Swedish registered. This, as you can expect, has generated an investigation to take place within the authority and I have been designated as Chairperson assisted by my colleague Stefan Christensen who will be Investigator-in-Charge; we will be your best points of contact in relation to this investigation. Our vision is to begin this investigation promptly and to cooperate with domestic law enforcement or competent investigative agencies as appropriate. It is paramount that this takes place immediately. Our investigations usually follow a set pathway defined by: a fact-finding phase, stakeholder meeting, analysis, consultation and final report publication.
Should you verify these reports and confirm that an airliner has in-fact been shot down, or crashed by other or unknown means then it is our intention that a fact-finding phase begins promptly to allow for the securing of evidence. On this basis it is requested that a team of trained investigative staff from our authority are sent to the crash site to begin the collation of this evidence. It is in the interests of the international community that this crash site remain sterile to allow our investigators to conduct an impartial and proper investigation in accordance with domestic and international legislation. I trust that you will aid in this process objectively.
I look forward to your imminent response on this matter.
Regards,
Jonas Bäckstrand
Chairperson
Swedish Accident Investigation Authority
Department of Justice
Kingdom of Sweden
Kelly the Mad
SECURE
Crown Copyright © Kingdom of Sweden
All information is subject to the Swedish Document Classification and Security Act 1995
Crown Copyright © Kingdom of Sweden
All information is subject to the Swedish Document Classification and Security Act 1995