KLM Flight 844 - Misplaced Pages

1957 aviation accident

KLM Flight 844
Accident
A KLM L-1049 similar to the one involved in the crash.
Date	16 July 1957 (1957-07-16)
Summary	Pilot error or possible technical failure (undetermined)
Site	Cenderawasih Bay, off Biak-Mokmer Airport, Biak Islands, Dutch New Guinea
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Lockheed 1049E Super Constellation
Aircraft name	Neutron
Operator	KLM
Registration	PH-LKT
Flight origin	Biak-Mokmer Airport (BIK/WABB)
Destination	Manila International Airport (MNL/RPLL)
Passengers	59
Crew	9
Fatalities	58
Survivors	10

KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) Flight 844 was an international scheduled passenger flight from Biak-Mokmer Airport, Dutch New Guinea (now Indonesia) to Manila International Airport, Manila, Philippines on 16 July 1957, which crashed into Cenderawasih Bay 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi; 0.65 nmi) from its departure airport. As a result, 58 (9 of which were crew members) out of 68 onboard perished. The flight was the first leg of a service with the ultimate destination of Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The aircraft

The Lockheed 1049E Super Constellation was registered PH-LKT and christened Neutron. With a construction number of 4504, the aircraft first flew in 1953 and accumulated 11,867 hours of flight. After Flight 844, Neutron was written off.

Flight

After take-off at 03:32 on 16 July 1957 from Runway 10 at Biak-Mokmer Airport, the captain of KLM Flight 844 requested that the runway lights be kept on and permission to carry out a low pass down the runway, with both requests granted. The Super Constellation initiated a 180-degree turn, losing altitude during the turn until it struck the sea at 03:36, breaking apart and sinking in water with depths of 250 metres (820 ft).

Investigation

Probable cause

Initially the crash was attributed to pilot error and/or technical failure, with no direct evidence for either cause. As the accident happened at night, the pilot might have misjudged his altitude relative to the sea.

The summary of the report from the Accident Board noted that there was no evidence of either pilot error or technical failure, but also noted that the risks involved in take-off and landing should not be needlessly increased by carrying out low passes on scheduled services with passengers aboard.

References

^ Gero, David (2009). Aviation Disasters, The world's major civil airliner crash since 1950. The History Press. p. 326. ISBN 978-0-7524-5039-1.
^ "Accident Description: Flight 844". aviation-safety.net. 7 October 2007. Retrieved 21 September 2010.

v t e Lockheed Constellation family
Model numbers	L-049 L-051 L-084 L-104 L-139 L-149 L-249 L-349 L-449 L-549 L-649 L-749 L-849 L-949 L-1049 A B/F L-1149 L-1249 L-1449 L-1549 L-1649
Names	Constellation (I) Constellation (II) Constellation (III) Speedfreighter Starliner Super Constellation (I) Super Constellation (II)
Military designations	B-30 C-69 C-121 F EC-121 PO R7O/R7V -2 WV W2V
Accidents and incidents	TWA Flight 513 (1946) TWA Flight 6963 (1946) Pan Am Flight 121 (1947) Pan Am Flight 1-10 (1948) Air France Flight 009 (1949) TWA Flight 903 (1950) Air India Flight 245 (1950) Pan Am Flight 151 (1951) Air France Flight 152 (1953) Air France Flight 178 (1953) KLM Flight 633 (1954) Air India Flight 300 (1955) El Al Flight 402 (1955) LAV Flight 253 (June 1956) TWA Flight 2 (1956) LAV Flight 253 (November 1956) KLM Flight 844 (1957) KLM Flight 607-E (1958) Lufthansa Flight 502 (1959) TWA Flight 891 (1959) Avianca Flight 671 (1960) Air France Flight 343 (1960) TWA Flight 266 (1960) Air France Flight 406 (1961) TWA Flight 529 (1961) IA Flight 201/8 (1961) FTL Flight 739 (1962) Paradise Airlines Flight 901A (1964) EAL Flight 853 (1965) LANSA Flight 501 (1966)
Notable aircraft	Avion Pirata Columbine II Kashmir Princess
Topics	Operators Variants

v t e KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Alliance	SkyTeam
Parent company	Air France-KLM
Subsidiaries	Cygnific KLM Cityhopper Martinair Transavia France
Destinations	KLM Transavia France
Accidents and incidents	1924 KLM Fokker F.III disappearance 1925 KLM Fokker F.III Forêt de Mormal crash 1927 KLM Fokker F.VIII crash 1928 KLM Fokker F.III Waalhaven crash 1934 KLM Douglas DC-2 crash 1935 Amsterdam Fokker F.XXII crash 1935 KLM Bushehr incident 1935 San Giacomo Douglas DC-2 crash 1936 KLM Croydon accident 1946 Amsterdam KLM Douglas C-47 crash 1947 KLM Douglas DC-3 Copenhagen disaster 1948 KLM Constellation air disaster KLM Flight 592 KLM Flight 607-E KLM Flight 608 KLM Flight 633 KLM Flight 844 KLM Flight 823 KLM Flight 861 KLM Flight 4805 KLM Flight 867 KLM Cityhopper Flight 433
People	Albert Plesman Anthony Fokker Peter Hartman Camiel Eurlings Pieter Elbers
Related	Air France-KLM‎ Air France Delta Air Lines KLM Open List of KLM Delft Blue houses
Defunct	Air Antwerp‎ KLM uk

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1957 (1957)
Jan 6 American Airlines Flight 327Jan 31 Pacoima aircraft accidentFeb 1 Northeast Airlines Flight 823Mar 5 Sutton Wick air crashMar 14 British European Airways Flight 411Mar 17 Cebu Douglas C-47 crashApr 7 Begé VARIG Commando crashMay 1 Blackbushe Viking accidentJun 14 LOT Polish Airlines Flight 232Jul 8 Singapore airplane crashJul 16 KLM Flight 844Jul 25 Bursa airplane crashAug 11 Maritime Central Airways Flight 315Aug 17 Kiev mid-air collisionSep 15 Northeast Airlines Flight 285Oct 1 Aeroflot Flight 11Oct 23 Nutts Corner BEA Viscount crashNov 6 Downend crashNov 8 Pan Am Flight 7Nov 15 Aquila Airways Solent crashDec 8 Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 670Dec 11 Philippine Air Lines DHC-3 Otter crashDec 18 Aeroflot Flight 10
1956 ◄ ► 1958

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1957 (1957)

Jan 6 American Airlines Flight 327Jan 31 Pacoima aircraft accidentFeb 1 Northeast Airlines Flight 823Mar 5 Sutton Wick air crashMar 14 British European Airways Flight 411Mar 17 Cebu Douglas C-47 crashApr 7 Begé VARIG Commando crashMay 1 Blackbushe Viking accidentJun 14 LOT Polish Airlines Flight 232Jul 8 Singapore airplane crashJul 16 KLM Flight 844Jul 25 Bursa airplane crashAug 11 Maritime Central Airways Flight 315Aug 17 Kiev mid-air collisionSep 15 Northeast Airlines Flight 285Oct 1 Aeroflot Flight 11Oct 23 Nutts Corner BEA Viscount crashNov 6 Downend crashNov 8 Pan Am Flight 7Nov 15 Aquila Airways Solent crashDec 8 Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 670Dec 11 Philippine Air Lines DHC-3 Otter crashDec 18 Aeroflot Flight 10

1956 ◄ ► 1958

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in Indonesia before 2000
1940s	Qantas Short Empire shootdown (January 1942)* RAAF Douglas C-47 disappearance (December 1945)* Yogyakarta Dakota incident (July 1947)*
1950s	Air India Flight 300 (April 1955) KLM Flight 844 (July 1957)*
1960s	Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 424 (January 1961) Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 542 (February 1961) Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 708 (February 1967)
1970s	Merpati Nusantara Airlines Vickers Viscount crash (November 1971) Pan Am Flight 812 (April 1974) Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 150 (September 1975) Garuda Fokker F28 crash (July 1979)
1980s	Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 206 (March 1981) Garuda Fokker F28 crash (March 1982) British Airways Flight 009 (June 1982) Garuda Indonesia Flight 035 (April 1987)
1990s	Jakarta Indonesian Air Force C-130 crash (October 1991) Mandala Airlines Flight 660 (July 1992) Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 5601 (October 1992) Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 724 (July 1993) Dirgantara Air Service Flight 5940 (December 1996) Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 106 (April 1997) Sempati Air Flight 304 (July 1997) Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 (September 1997) SilkAir Flight 185 (December 1997)
"*" denotes an incident that took place in either the Dutch East Indies or Netherlands New Guinea 1940–1999 ► 2000–2009

1°12′12″S 136°08′46″E / 1.2033°S 136.1461°E / -1.2033; 136.1461

Categories: