The 1927 KLM Fokker F.VIII crash happened on 22 August 1927 when Fokker F.VIII H-NADU of

KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...

crashed at Underriver, Kent, following structural failure of the tailfin or rudder. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled flight from

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

, Surrey, to Waalhaven Airport,

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

, the Netherlands. One of the two crew was killed and eight people were injured.

Aircraft

The accident aircraft was Fokker F.VIII H-NADU, c/n 4993. The aircraft was manufactured in 1926 and had entered service with KLM on 24 June 1927.

Accident

On 22 August 1927, H-NADU departed Croydon at 8:07 am, bound for Rotterdam. it was carrying two crew, nine passengers, of mail and of freight. About 10 minutes after take-off, a tensioning wire at the tail broke, tearing off the rudder and tailfin. This made the aircraft very difficult to control, with a crash inevitable. The aircraft crashed into the crowns of some trees in the grounds of a large house named ''St Julian's'' at Underriver. The mechanic was killed when he was crushed by one of the engines. The pilot and seven passengers were injured. The tailfin and rudder were recovered at a distance of over from the wreckage of the aircraft. Damage to the aircraft was assessed at ƒ68,985.07.

References

External links

Photo of the crashed aircraftPhoto of the crashed aircraft
{{DEFAULTSORT:KLM Fokker F.VIII crash Aviation accidents and incidents in 1927 Aviation accidents and incidents in Kent Sevenoaks District KLM accidents and incidents Airliner accidents and incidents caused by in-flight structural failure 1927 disasters in the United Kingdom Airliner accidents and incidents in the United Kingdom August 1927 events Fokker F.VII