KLM Flight 607-E
Encyclopedia
KLM Flight 607-E, also known as Hugo de Groot, registration PH-LKM, was a Lockheed Super Constellation
which crashed 180 kilometres west of Shannon, Ireland on August 14, 1958. All 99 on board died in the accident, including six members of the Egypt
ian fencing team. The "E" in the flight number stood for the designation of being an extra economy class flight to match the increased seasonal tourist demand.
Flight 607-E departed Shannon
, Ireland
at 3:05 GMT on the second leg of a transatlantic trip from Amsterdam
to New York City
with intermediate stops in Shannon and Gander, Newfoundland. Radio contact with the aircraft was lost at approximately 3:40 GMT; a rescue operation was launched which found light debris on the surface of the ocean approximately 180 km west of Shannon. The remains of 34 of those on board were also recovered. Due to the unknown depth of the crash location, no salvage effort was attempted.
The August 15, 1958 edition of The New York Times
reported the incident thusly:
"A New York-bound Dutch Super-Constellation carrying ninety-nine persons plunged into the Atlantic yesterday. Fifty-one of the passengers
were Americans returning home. If' all were killed, as appeared likely, it is the worst disaster ever involving a single commercial plane.
The KLM-Royal Dutch airliner fell into the squall-whipped sea On a flight from Amsterdam shortly after taking off from Shannon airport. It fell about
130 mile- west of Ireland. Searchers recovered eight bodies, all afloat, plus some partly inflated life rafts.
A KLM spokesman said the plane evidently was in one piece when it hit.
No Sign of Life Seen
At Aldergrove, Northern Ireland, crewmen of the first Royal Air Force Shackleton plane to sight the wreckage said they saw six bodies, but no sign of life during an eight-hour patrol."
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. The cause of the accident is believed to be a malfunctioning overspeeding outboard propeller caused by metal particles obstructing oil feed line regulator valves. The particles may have been formed by a gear that was damaged when the supercharger of the corresponding engine was accelerated (shifted). The malfunctions of the propeller pitch might have provoked a flight disturbance and as a consequence the propeller may have sheared off. KLM made modifications to the oil feed lines serving the propeller mechanism making the possibility of such a propeller event much less likely.
Lockheed Constellation
The Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a...
which crashed 180 kilometres west of Shannon, Ireland on August 14, 1958. All 99 on board died in the accident, including six members of the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian fencing team. The "E" in the flight number stood for the designation of being an extra economy class flight to match the increased seasonal tourist demand.
Flight 607-E departed Shannon
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
at 3:05 GMT on the second leg of a transatlantic trip from Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with intermediate stops in Shannon and Gander, Newfoundland. Radio contact with the aircraft was lost at approximately 3:40 GMT; a rescue operation was launched which found light debris on the surface of the ocean approximately 180 km west of Shannon. The remains of 34 of those on board were also recovered. Due to the unknown depth of the crash location, no salvage effort was attempted.
The August 15, 1958 edition of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported the incident thusly:
"A New York-bound Dutch Super-Constellation carrying ninety-nine persons plunged into the Atlantic yesterday. Fifty-one of the passengers
were Americans returning home. If' all were killed, as appeared likely, it is the worst disaster ever involving a single commercial plane.
The KLM-Royal Dutch airliner fell into the squall-whipped sea On a flight from Amsterdam shortly after taking off from Shannon airport. It fell about
130 mile- west of Ireland. Searchers recovered eight bodies, all afloat, plus some partly inflated life rafts.
A KLM spokesman said the plane evidently was in one piece when it hit.
No Sign of Life Seen
At Aldergrove, Northern Ireland, crewmen of the first Royal Air Force Shackleton plane to sight the wreckage said they saw six bodies, but no sign of life during an eight-hour patrol."
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. The cause of the accident is believed to be a malfunctioning overspeeding outboard propeller caused by metal particles obstructing oil feed line regulator valves. The particles may have been formed by a gear that was damaged when the supercharger of the corresponding engine was accelerated (shifted). The malfunctions of the propeller pitch might have provoked a flight disturbance and as a consequence the propeller may have sheared off. KLM made modifications to the oil feed lines serving the propeller mechanism making the possibility of such a propeller event much less likely.
External links
- Galway Ceremony marks KLM air disaster at RTERTERTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
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