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KLM Flight 607-E

Coordinates: 53°12′30″N 11°53′00″W / 53.20833°N 11.88333°W / 53.20833; -11.88333
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KLM Flight 607-E
The Hugo de Groot, the aircraft involved in the accident.
Accident
Date14 August 1958
SummaryUndetermined
SiteAtlantic Ocean
(110 mi due west of Galway, Ireland)[1]
Aircraft
Aircraft typeLockheed L-1049H-01-06-162 Super Constellation
Aircraft nameHugo de Groot
OperatorKLM
RegistrationPH-LKM
Flight originAmsterdam
1st stopoverShannon Airport, Ireland
Last stopoverGander, Newfoundland
DestinationNew York City
Occupants99
Passengers91
Crew8
Fatalities99
Survivors0
KLM Flight 607-E memorial in Bohermore Cemetery, Galway
KLM Flight 607-E disaster graves in Bohermore Cemetery, Galway

KLM Flight 607-E was an international scheduled flight that crashed on 14 August 1958, on takeoff from Shannon Airport, Ireland. The aircraft was a Lockheed Super Constellation. All 99 on board died, making the crash the deadliest civil aviation disaster involving a single aircraft at the time, and the deadliest crash involving the Lockheed Constellation series, until the disappearance of Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 in 1962.

Accident

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The airplane was named Hugo de Groot and registered as PH-LKM[2]. The "E" in the flight number stood for the designation of being an extra economy class flight to match the increased seasonal tourist demand.[3]

All ninety-one passengers and eight crew died in the accident, including six members of the Egyptian fencing team (Osman Abdel Hafeez, Mohamed Ali Riad, Ahmed Sabry, et al.).[4]

Flight 607-E departed Shannon at 03:05 UTC on the second leg of a transatlantic trip from Amsterdam, Netherlands to New York City, US with intermediate stops in Shannon and Gander, Newfoundland. Radio contact with the aircraft was lost at approximately 03:40 UTC; a rescue operation was launched which found light debris on the surface of the ocean approximately 180 kilometres (110 mi) northwest of Shannon. The remains of thirty-four of those on board were also recovered.[1]

Due to the lack of evidence, Irish and Dutch investigators could not pinpoint a probable cause for the accident. They examined the possibility of a bomb, electrical failure, or pilot error, but believed that the most likely possibility was a catastrophic mechanical failure.[5] The investigating board believed the most likely cause of the accident to be a malfunctioning over-speeding outboard propeller caused by metal particles obstructing oil feed line regulator valves.[5] The particles may have been formed by a gear that was damaged when the supercharger of the corresponding engine was accelerated (gear ratio shifted).[5] The malfunctions of the propeller pitch might have provoked a flight disturbance and as a consequence the propeller may have sheared off.[5]

Memorial

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A memorial to the people who died when KLM Flight 607-E crashed into the sea is located in Bohermore Cemetery, Galway, just inside the main gates. Several bodies of the passengers are buried around the memorial.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b City remembers memorial for 99 plane crash victims – Irish Independent, 13 August 2008
  2. ^ "Civil aircraft register (PH-LKM)". Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport.
  3. ^ "Tragedy for Homeward-Bound Vacationers". Life. Time Inc. August 25, 1958. Volume 45, No. 8. Page 28. ISSN 0024-3019. Accessed on Google Books. Retrieved on 6 November 2009.
  4. ^ "Sports tragedies | the San Diego Union-Tribune". Archived from the original on 2006-10-19. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
  5. ^ a b c d Aviation Safety Network  – Flight Safety Foundation
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53°12′30″N 11°53′00″W / 53.20833°N 11.88333°W / 53.20833; -11.88333