Incidents and accidents[edit]
At JACDEC Airline Safety Ranking 2015, KLM is ranked fifth place out of 60 major airlines.[157] It is the only European airline in the JACDEC top ten.[157] The most notable accident involving a KLM aircraft was the 1977 Tenerife airport disaster, which led to 583 fatalities. Since the Tenerife disaster, no KLM flight has led to fatalities.
Tenerife airport disaster[edit]
The Tenerife disaster, which occurred on 27 March 1977, remains the accident with the highest number of airliner passenger fatalities. 583 people died when a KLM Boeing 747-206B attempted to take off without clearance, and collided with a taxiing Pan Am 747-121 at Los Rodeos Airport on the Canary Island of Tenerife, Spain. There were no survivors from the KLM aircraft; 61 of the 396 passengers and crew on the Pan Am aircraft survived. Pilot error from the KLM aircraft was the primary cause. Owing to a communication misunderstanding, the KLM captain thought he had clearance for takeoff.[158][159] Another cause was dense fog, meaning the KLM flight crew was unable to see the Pan Am aircraft on the runway until immediately prior to the collision.[160] The accident had a lasting influence on the industry, particularly in the area of communication. An increased emphasis was placed on using standardized phraseology in air traffic control (ATC) communication by both controllers and pilots alike, thereby reducing the chance for misunderstandings. As part of these changes, the word "takeoff" was removed from general usage, and is only spoken by ATC when actually clearing an aircraft to take off.[161]
Other fatal accidents[edit]
1920s–1930s[edit]
On 24 April 1923, Fokker F.III H-NABS departed Lympne for Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The aircraft was not heard from again. It was presumed to have crashed into the sea, killing the pilot and both passengers.[162]
On 25 June 1925, Fokker F.III H-NABM struck trees and crashed at Locquignol, France while flying too low in poor visibility, killing all four on board.
On 9 July 1926, Fokker F.VII H-NACC crashed in thick fog near Wolverthem, Belgium, killing both pilots.
On 22 August 1927, Fokker F.VIII H-NADU crashed near Sevenoaks, England. One crewmember was killed.[163]
On 14 July 1928, Fokker F.III H-NABR crashed at Waalhaven after striking several ship masts after takeoff; one passenger drowned when the fuselage sank.
On 20 December 1934, KLM Douglas DC-2 PH-AJU "Uiver" crashed at Rutbah Wells, Iraq, killing all occupants. The aircraft had participated in the Mac Robertson Air Race in October 1934, and won the handicap division. It was on its first flight after return from the race and was en route to the Netherlands East Indies carrying Christmas mail when it crashed.[164]
On 6 April 1935, KLM Fokker F.XII PH-AFL "Leeuwerik" struck a mountain 15 km (9 mi) from Brilon, France while flying too low, killing all seven on board.
On 14 July 1935, KLM Fokker F.XXII PH-AJQ "Kwikstaart" crashed and burned just outside Schiphol after both left side engines failed due to a defect in the fuel system, killing four crew and two passengers. Fourteen occupants survived.[10]
On 20 July 1935, KLM Douglas DC-2 PH-AKG "Gaai" crashed near the San Bernardino Pass near Pian San Giacomo, killing all three crew and all 10 passengers.[10]
On 9 December 1936, KLM Douglas DC-2 PH-AKL "Lijster" crashed into a house after taking off from Croydon Airport, London. The accident killed 15 of the 17 people on board the aircraft.
On 3 April 1937, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-ALP "Pluvier" was being delivered to KLM when it struck Mount Baldy, Arizona, killing all eight on board.[165]
On 28 July 1937, KLM Douglas DC-2 PH-ALF "Flamingo" crashed in a field near Beert, Belgium. The crash was caused by an in-flight fire and killed all 15 on board.[166]
On 6 October 1937, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-ALS "Specht" crashed on take-off from Talang Betoetoe Airport, killing three crew and one passenger; the co-pilot and seven passengers survived.[167]
On 14 November 1938, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-ARY "IJsvogel" struck the ground and crashed near Schiphol Airport for unknown reasons, killing six of 19 on board.[168]
On 9 December 1938, KLM Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra PH-APE "Ekster" crashed on take-off from Schiphol Airport because of engine failure while on a training flight, killing the four crew.[169]
On 10 June 1939, KLM Koolhoven F.K.43 "Krekel" stalled and crashed at Vlissingen, killing all three on board.
1940s[edit]
On 28 December 1941, KNILM Douglas DC-3 PK-ALN "Nandoe" (formerly KLM PH-ALN) was destroyed on the ground by Japanese fighters at Medan, North Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, killing all crew members and passengers.
On 1 June 1943, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-ALI "Ibis", which had escaped the Dutch occupation and was operating under lease to BOAC, operating BOAC Flight 777, was shot down by eight German Junkers Ju 88 fighters over the Bay of Biscay while on the scheduled Lisbon-Bristol route. All 13 passenger