KLM Royal Dutch Airlines - Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Landing (descent or approach)

Schedule:

Amsterdam - Amsterdam

MSN:

1413

YOM:

1938

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

323

Circumstances:

The crew was engaged in a training mission around Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport. Shortly after takeoff from runway 01/19, while climbing, the twin engine aircraft named 'Ekster' stalled and crashed in a garden located some 1,500 metres from the runway end, bursting into flames. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all four crew members were killed. Delivered last 15 of March, it totalized 323 flying hours.
Crew:
Arie van der Sijde, instructor,
Cornelius Menne Schreij, pilot,
Antony Albert Garrit Bekking, flight engineer,
Karl Leo Hans Jaedicke, radio operator.

Probable cause:

Failure of the right engine shortly after rotation, most probably due to a wrong handle on part of the pilot in command.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3-194D in Amsterdam: 6 killed

Date & Time: Nov 14, 1938 at 1841 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-3

Operator:

Registration:

PH-ARY

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Berlin – Amsterdam

MSN:

2021

YOM:

1938

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On approach to Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport at night, the aircraft named 'Ijsvogel' impacted the ground at full power, slid for 125 metres and came to rest across a ditch. The aircraft was destroyed. Four crew members and two passengers were killed while 13 other occupants were injured.
Crew:
J. J. E. Duimelaar, pilot, †
A. van Gemeren, copilot, †
A. J. van Huut, engineer, †
C. J. W. Surber, radio operator, †
B. Eys, steward.
Passengers:
R. G. Clyman,
W. A. Fairclough,
L. St. C. Ingrams,
J. Miller,
M. Schneider Desnitzky-Kirchbach, †
A. Silberstein,
M. Silberstein,
I. V. Weideman,
P. O. H. Weideman,
B. Weideman-Marx, †
F. Winter,
M. Winter,
F. Zimmerman.

Probable cause:

Investigations were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident. No evidence was found of any preimpact mechanical failure and the weather conditions were not considered as a contributory factor. The crash may have been caused by a crew 'error'.

Crash of a Koolhoven FK.43 in Groningen

Date & Time: Dec 17, 1937 at 1130 LT

Type of aircraft:

Koolhoven FK.43

Operator:

Registration:

PH-AKC

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Amsterdam – Groningen – Teuge – Amsterdam

MSN:

4308

YOM:

1933

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a training flight. Shortly after takeoff from Groningen-Eelde Airport, while climbing to a height of some 15 metres, the crew initiated a sharp turn when the single engine aircraft stalled and crashed in a field. Both occupants were unhurt while the aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the airplane stalled while completing a sharp turn at an altitude that did not allow the crew to expect a stall recovery.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3-194B in Palembang: 4 killed

Date & Time: Oct 6, 1937 at 1225 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-3

Operator:

Registration:

PH-ALS

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Palembang-Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II

Schedule:

Batavia – Palembang – Singapore – Bangkok – Ruţbah Wells – Cairo – Amsterdam

MSN:

1940

YOM:

1937

Location:

South Sumatra

Country:

Indonesia

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from Palembang-Talang Airport, while in initial climb, the left engine failed. The crew elected to return for a safe landing when the aircraft named 'Specht' stalled, impacted trees and crashed nose first. The cockpit was destroyed and three crew members were killed instantly, only the copilot survived. A passenger was killed as well.
Crew:
F.M. Stork, pilot, †
H. J. Groeneveld, copilot,
J. J. Ruben, engineer, †
J. J. Stodieck, radio. †
Passengers:
T. Bouwman,
B. Huberman,
I. Ibbeken,
A. E. Munroe,
H. C. Schoch,
F. Smissaert,
G. A. van Steenbergen. †

Probable cause:

Failure of the left engine after takeoff due the failure of a connecting rod.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-115L in Brussels: 15 killed

Date & Time: Jul 28, 1937 at 1040 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-2

Operator:

Registration:

PH-ALF

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Amsterdam – Brussels – Paris

MSN:

1585

YOM:

1936

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Less than five minutes after takeoff from Brussels-Haren Airport, while climbing to a height of 1,200 feet, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a wheat field located 300 metres from Brages' station, bursting into flames. The airplane named 'Flamingo' was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 15 occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cornelius Theo Regnerus Steensma, pilot,
Bernardus Ludekuize, radio navigator,
Gerardus Geering, engineer,
Martha Johanna van der Laan, stewardess.
Passengers:
A. Bloem,
W. Canton,
M. Goldbloom,
B. F. Mun,
N. Nathans,
C. Tondreau,
R. Tondreau-Tollenaere,
R. Trillo,
F. Wetzlar,
H. Wapperom,
G. Whitehouse.

Probable cause:

A fire erupted in the cabin shortly after take off for unknown reasons. Investigations were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3-194B on Mt Baldy: 8 killed

Date & Time: Apr 3, 1937 at 1530 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-3

Operator:

Registration:

PH-ALP

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Delivery

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Long Beach - Phoenix - Kansas City - New York

MSN:

1938

YOM:

1937

Location:

Mt Baldy

Arizona

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft was on a delivery flight to the Dutch National Company based in Amsterdam and should be flown from Long Beach to New York with intermediate stops in Phoenix and Kansas City. While cruising in poor weather conditions on the leg from Phoenix to Kansas City, the airplane impacted the slope of Mt Baldy located some 32 km northwest from McNary. The wreckage was found three days later. All eight occupants were killed.
Crew:
Glen C. Moser, pilot,
J. Wolford, copilot.
Passengers:
B. B. Bruderlin,
L. Estey,
M. Estey,
R. Kent,
E. R. Moser,
B. Troyt.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-115E in Croydon: 15 killed

Date & Time: Dec 9, 1936 at 1030 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-2

Operator:

Registration:

PH-AKL

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Landing (descent or approach)

Site:

City

Schedule:

Croydon – Amsterdam – Berlin

MSN:

1358

YOM:

1935

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airport of Croydon was shrouded in fog with visibility fluctuating at around 50 metres and all aircraft were operating under so-called "QBI" (a Q code denoting that all operations have to be performed under instrument flight rules) conditions. Crews were following a white line laid out approximately East-West on the grass surface of Croydon's landing area during their take-off runs (a normal procedure at several airports in the United Kingdom at the time, that had been in use at Croydon since 1931). A number of departures by this method had already been made that day by the time the KLM DC-2 took off, including a Swissair DC-2 about 25 minutes beforehand. The KLM DC-2 named 'Lijster' started its takeoff run along the white line but after about 200 yards (183 m), it veered off the line to the left and on becoming airborne headed south towards rising ground instead of in the normal westerly direction. After flying over the southern boundary of the airport, the aircraft hit the chimney of a house on Hillcrest Road, Purley, then crashed into an empty house on the opposite side of the street. The aircraft, the house and an adjoining house (also empty at the time) were destroyed in the crash and ensuing fire. One passenger and the stewardess survived while all 15 other occupants were killed, among them Admiral Salomon Arvid Achates Lindmann, former Prime Minister of Sweden, and Juan de la Cierva y Cordoniu, the inventor of the Autogyro in 1923 and the vertical takeoff in 1934. At this time, this accident was considered as the worst air crash in the UK in terms of the number of fatalities.
Crew:
Ludwig Hautzmayer, pilot,
Pieter Cornelis van Bemmel Valentijn, radio operator,
Jaap Verkerk, flight engineer,
Hilde Bongertman, stewardess.

Probable cause:

It was determined by the UK Accidents Investigation Branch that the pilot had failed to maintain directional control of the aircraft, and also demonstrated ‘poor judgement’ in not throttling down the engines and abandoning the take-off after it had departed the runway.

Ground accident of a Fokker F7b/3m in Haamstede

Date & Time: Jul 15, 1936 at 1500 LT

Type of aircraft:

Fokker F7

Operator:

Registration:

PH-AEZ

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Haamstede - Rotterdam

MSN:

5122

YOM:

1929

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

As the weather conditions were deteriorating, the board of the Dutch National Company KLM decided to move the aircraft that was parked in Haamstede to a safe place in Rotterdam, and asked three technicians to do so. While taxiing, the aircraft was caught by strong winds, went out of control and came to rest upside down. All three occupants were uninjured and the aircraft named 'Zwaluw' was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Caught by strong winds while taxiing.

Crash of a Koolhoven FK.43 in Amsterdam: 1 killed

Date & Time: Dec 18, 1935 at 1530 LT

Type of aircraft:

Koolhoven FK.43

Operator:

Registration:

PH-AJJ

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site: