On March 30, 1987, an American military plane of the type A-10 Thunderbolt crashed just below the top of Isvasstinden (940 meters above sea level) close to the Trollfjord. The plane found the next day was completely crushed, and the American pilot Robert D. Wallen died in the crash.
Most of the wreckage was extracted from the area in August of the same year. The rescue teams who assisted after the accident asked for the mountain to be named after the pilot.
Some information from the incident/log provided by Tore Wangsfjord at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Northern Norway:
At 11:26 on 30/3-87, HRS NN is informed from the Air Traffic Service in Bodø that an American A-10 is missing between Bodø and Andøya. This was part of a squadron of five planes that were to fly from Andøya to Tromsø and then to Bodø.
HRS immediately notifies Sea-King in Bodø as well as all police districts and sheriff’s districts in the area in question. In addition, several vessels are available for searches, among others. from the Coast Guard and the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue.
The search continues throughout the day and into the evening, without the aircraft being located. Several people in Lofoten have seen and heard fighter planes during the period in question, and the search is concentrated around the area north of Svolvær.
It is not until 0945 on 31/3 that the aircraft is located. It was primarily bad weather that made the search take a long time (low cloud cover combined with fog/precipitation). The rest of the day is searched in and around the aircraft for the pilot. Only remains of the body are eventually found on the wreckage.
Photo: Bjørn Eide and the US Air Force
