Stefan G. Rasmussen (born 23 July 1947) is a former Danish pilot who captained the crash-landing SAS flight 751 on 27 December 1991. There were no fatalities in the crash, and Rasmussen received much recognition for his handling of the incident. He entered politics, and served in the Danish ''

Folketing The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature ( parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands ...

'' parliament from 1994 to 1996.

Biography

He was born in

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).Royal Danish Air Force The Royal Danish Air Force ( da, Flyvevåbnet, lit=The Flying weapon) (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of The Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Defence. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was ...

(1970–1994) and graduated from

Williams Air Force Base Williams Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force (USAF) base, located in Maricopa County, Arizona, east of Chandler, and about southeast of Phoenix. It is a designated Superfund site due to a number of soil and groundwater contamin ...

, Arizona in 1973 (class 74-01). On 27 December 1991, he was the Captain of Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751, a McDonnell-Douglas MD-81 registered OY-KHO which crash-landed at Gottröra in Sweden. In the initial climb both engines ingested ice which had built up on the two wings, which had not been properly deiced before departure, the engines then surged. Both engines were destroyed, leaving the aircraft with no propulsion. After a controlled low-altitude glide, the aircraft landed in a field and broke into three parts. No fire broke out and all aboard the plane survived. Rasmussen was decorated by Queen

Margrethe II of Denmark Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent femal ...

for his outstanding and professional performance. He received several recognitions, such as: IFALPA Polaris Award, IAPA Outstanding Service Award, Aviation Week & Space Technology Laurels Award and Hall of Fame recognition and

H. M. The King's Medal H. M. ( His Majesty) The King's Medal ( sv, H.M. Konungens medalj), earlier known as the Court Medal ( sv, Hovmedaljen), is a Swedish honour that may be bestowed upon Swedish and foreign citizens. The medal was created in 1814 and is awarded in di ...

from King

Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973. He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, D ...

. Rasmussen was a member of the Danish ''

'' Parliament for the Conservative People's Party from 1994 to 1996, but had to terminate his membership due to a severe Tinnitus he had had after the emergency landing with the SAS plane. In the period 2000 and up to 2005, Rasmussen was a member of the city council in Frederikssund. He has published the book "Det gælder dit liv!" () and has for many years been an active speaker in both Denmark and abroad. In 2021 he published the book "Du ska' ikk' spare mig..."" () on the same occasion the book "Det gælder dit liv!" republished in a new edition () Rasmussen was diagnosed with PTSD as a result of the aftermath of the accident and retired in 1992 after 13 years of flying with Scandinavian Airlines. In 2005, Rasmussen actively resumed music as his main occupation, and he has since released a number of songs in the genre Lounge Jazz: In 2011, "All of Me… A'live!" (UPC 5710261010209), in 2012, "Lazy Times…" (UPC 5710261030931), in 2017, "Fly Us to the Moon ..." (UPC 7071245394073), in 2018, "Let Me Sing for Evermore ...", (UPC 7071245603205), in 2021, "Just for You, Vol. 1", (UPC 196006665821), and "Just for You, Vol. 2", (UPC 196006664282)

References

External links

Profile interview
by

Berlingske Tidende ''Berlingske'', previously known as ''Berlingske Tidende'' (, ''Berling's Times''), is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, ''Berlingske'' ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasmussen, Stefan G. 1947 births Living people Danish aviators Survivors of aviation accidents or incidents People from Randers Members of the Folketing Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Conservative People's Party (Denmark) politicians