KLM Royal Dutch Airlines - Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij

Boeing 737-400

At 16:46 KLM Flight 1673 departed Amsterdam for Barcelona. Upon rotation from runway 18L the aircraft suffered a bird strike. A bird collided with the nose gear. The gear was retracted normally and there was no abnormal indication in the cockpit. The crew reported the impact to the ATC and the flight to Barcelona continued normally. The aircraft touched down on Barcelona's runway 25R. After touchdown of the nose landing gear, the aircraft started deviating to the left of the runway centreline. The veering to the left continued and the aircraft left the paved surface of the runway and went through an area of soft sand where some construction works were being carried out. The nose landing gear leg collapsed rearwards and the left main landing gear leg detached from its fittings shortly before the aircraft came to a stop close to the edge of a rain drainage canal. The final position of the aircraft was at a longitudinal distance of approximately 1606 m from runway 25R threshold, and at a lateral distance of approximately 84 m from the runway centreline.

Boeing 747-200

The KLM Boeing 747, registration PH-BUF, took off from Schipol Airport (Amsterdam) at 0900 hours on 27 March 1977, en route to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. This flight was part of the Charter Series KL4805/4806 Amsterdam-Las Palmas (Canary Islands) - Amsterdam operated by KLM on behalf of the Holland International Travel Group (H.I.N.T.), Rijswijk-Z.H. The Boeing 747 registration N736PA, flight number 1736, left Los Angeles International Airport, California, United States, on 26 March 1977, local date, at 0129Z hours, arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport at 0617Z hours. After the aeroplane was refuelled and a crew change effected, it took off for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain) at 0742Z. While the aeroplanes were en route to Las Palmas, a bomb exploded in the airport passenger terminal. On account of this incident and of a warning regarding a possible second bomb, the airport was closed. Therefore, KLM 4805 was diverted to Los Rodeos (Tenerife) Airport, arriving at 1338Z on 27 March 1977. For the same reason, PAA1736 proceeded to the same airport, which was its alternate, landing at 1415. At first the KLM passengers were not allowed to leave the aeroplane, but after about twenty minutes they were all transported to the terminal building by bus. On alighting from the bus, they received cards identifying them as passengers in transit on Flight KL 4805. Later, all the passengers boarded KLM 4805 expect the H.I.N.T. Company guide, who remained in Tenerife. When Las Palmas Airport was opened to traffic once more, the PAA 1736 crew prepared to proceed to Las Palmas, which was the flight's planned destination. When they attempted to taxi on the taxiway leading to runway 12, where they had been parked with four other aeroplanes on account of the congestion caused by the number of flights diverted to Tenerife, they discovered that it was blocked by KLM Boeing 747, Flight 4805, which was located between PAA 1736 and the entrance to the active runway. The first officer and the flight engineer left the aeroplane and measured the clearance left by the KLM aircraft, reaching the conclusion that it was insufficient to allow PAA 1736 to pass by, obliging them to writ until the former had started to taxi. The passengers of PAA 1736 did not leave the aeroplane during the whole time that it remained in the airport. KLM 4805 called the tower at 1656 requesting permission to taxi. It was authorized to do so and at 1658 requested to backtrack on runway 12 for take-off on runway 30. The tower controller first cleared the KLM flight to taxi to the holding position for runway 30 by taxiing down the main runway and leaving it by the (third) taxiway to its left. KLM 4805 acknowledged receipt of this message from the tower, stating that it was at that moment taxiing on the runway, which it would leave by the first taxiway in order to proceed to the approach end of runway 30. The tower controller immediately issued an amended clearance, instructing it to continue to taxi to the end of the runway, where it should proceed to backtrack. The KLM flight confirmed that it had received the message, that it would backtrack, and that it was taxiing down tile main runway. The tower signalled its approval, whereupon KLM 4805 immediately asked the tower again if what they had asked it to do was to turn left on taxiway one. The tower replied in the negative and repeated that it should continue on to the end of the runway and there backtrack. Finally, at 1659, KLM 4805 replied, "O.K., sir." At 1702, the PAA aeroplane called the tower to request confirmation that it should taxi down the runway. The tower controller confirmed this, also adding that they should leave the runway by the third taxiway to their left. At 1703:00, in reply to the tower controller's query to KLM 4805 as to how many runway exits they had passed, the latter confirmed that at that moment they were passing by taxiway C4. The tower controller told KLM 4805, "O.K., at the end of the runway make one eighty and report ready for ATC clearance ." In response to a query from KLM 4805, the tower controller advised both aeroplanes - KLM 4805 and PAA 1736 - that the runway centre line lights were out of service. The controller also reiterated to PAA 1736 that they were to leave the main runway via the third taxiway to their left and that they should report leaving the runway. At the times indicated, the following conversations took place between the tower and the KLM 4805 and PAA 1736 aeroplanes. Times taken from KLM CVR. 1705:44.6 KLM 4805: The KLM four eight zero five is now ready for take-off and we are waiting for our ATC clearance. (1705:50.77). 1705:53.41 Tower: KLM eight seven zero five you are cleared to the Papa Beacon, climb to and maintain flight level nine zero, right turn after take-off, proceed with heading four zero until intercepting the three two five radial from Las Palmas VOR. (1706 :08.09). 1706:09.61 KLM 4805: Ah - Roger, sir, we are cleared to the Papa Beacon, flight level nine zero until intercepting the three two five. We are now (at take-off). (1706:17.79). 1706:18.19 Tower : O.K..... Stand by for take-off, I will call you. (1706: 21.79). Note: A squeal starts at: 1706:19.39 The squeal ends at: 1706:22.06 1706:21.92 PAA 1736: Clipper one seven three six. (1706 : 23.39). 1706:25.47 Tower: Ah - Papa Alpha one seven three six report the runway clear. (1706: 28.89). 1706:29.59 PAA 1736: O.K., will report when we're clear. (1706:30.69). 1706:31.69 Tower: Thank you. Subsequently, KLM 4805, which had released its brakes to start take-off run 20 seconds before this communication took place, collided with the PAA aeroplane. The control tower received no further communications from PAA 1736, nor from KLM 4805. There were no eyewitnesses to the collision. All 248 occupants on board the KLM 747 were killed. Among the 396 people on board the Pan Am 747, 335 were killed (among them nine crew members) and 61 others were injured.

Lockheed L-188 Electra

The approach to Cairo-Intl Airport was completed by night. On final, the four engine aircraft struck a hill and crashed 4 km short of runway 34 threshold. Three crew members and 17 passengers were killed while 16 other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed. Following a crew error, the aircraft was below the glide.

Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation

While cruising at an altitude of 4,000 meters by night, the crew contacted ATC to report his position and all was ok on board. About ten minutes later, the airplane disappeared from radar screens and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 180 km northwest of the Irish coast. SAR operations were dispatched on the scene and several debris and bodies were found in the early morning. All operations were suspended after few days and all 99 occupants were considered as deceased.

Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation

On 16 July at 0332 hours local time (15 July - 1802 hours GMT) the aircraft took off from Mokmer aerodrome on the Island of Biak, on a scheduled transport flight to Manila. It carried nine crew members and fifty-nine passengers. A few minutes after take-off the pilot asked the operator in the control tower to keep the runway lights on. Shortly thereafter he requested permission to make a "low run" over the aerodrome. Both requests were granted, In the meantime, the aircraft had made a turn to the right and a turn to the left and was flying in a westerly direction back towards the aerodrome. During this approach the aircraft lost altitude gradually and at 0336 local time it crashed into the sea one kilometer from the shore. It burst into flames, broke apart and sank immediately. Eleven passengers and one stewardess were rescued.The stewardess and one of the surviving passengers died later in hospital.

Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation

After a night takeoff from runway 32 at Shannon Airport, the four engine aircraft christened 'Triton' climbed to a maximum height of 260 feet and reached the speed of 155 knots when it went into a slight nose down attitude. It then started to descend until it crashed into the Shannon Estuary, about 8,170 feet from the departure end of runway 32. The crashed occurred approximately 35 seconds after liftoff. 28 occupants were killed while 28 others were rescued. The aircraft was destroyed.

Douglas DC-6

While approaching Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport after an uneventful flight from New York via Shannon, the crew received the permission to descend to 5,500 feet and then 4,500 feet and 3,500 feet respectively. At 1130LT, the four engine aircraft christened 'Willem Bontekoe' disappeared from the radar screens after it crashed into the sea. About five minutes after the disappearance, ATC cleared the crew to descend to 2,500 feet but did not receive any feedback. SAR operations were hampered by poor weather conditions and first debris were found at 1610LT about 37 km northwest of Ijmuiden. None of the 21 occupants survived the crash and less than 50% of the aircraft was recovered.

Convair CV-240

After a run of 700 meters on runway 05, the captain started to rotate. During the initial climb, at a height of approximately 50 to 60 feet and at a speed of 233 km/h, the pilot-in-command retracted the flaps when the aircraft lost height and stalled. The pilot closed the throttles and belly landed the airplane on the remaining runway. The aircraft slid for 200 meters, overran, crossed a road where it struck two standing girls before coming to rest near a drainage ditch, broken in two. All 34 occupants were evacuated safely while two girls aged 16 and 4 were killed. The aircraft was destroyed.

Lockheed L-749 Constellation

En route to Bangkok, about 450 km from the intended destination, the crew informed ATC about vibrations coming from the engine number three. The flight was continued uneventfully until the descent was started. On final approach to runway 21, a propeller blade detached from the engine number three that caught fire and suffered severe vibrations. On touchdown, the right main gear collapsed and the airplane skidded for several yards before coming to rest in flames. All 44 occupants were evacuated safely before the aircraft christened 'Venlo' was destroyed by fire.

Douglas DC-6

The descent to Frankfurt was started in poor weather conditions with light rain, overcast at 1,500 feet and few clouds at 300 feet. The crew informed ATC about his position vertical of Staden beacon at 4,000 feet and few minutes later over Offenbach at an altitude of 2,500 feet. For unknown reason, the four engine aircraft christened 'Koningin Juliana' was too low, hit tree tops and crashed in flames in a dense wooded area located about 7 km northeast of the airport. A passenger and a crew member were seriously injured while 45 other occupants were killed.