Douglas DC-2-115K – OK-AIA

Incident Overview

Date: Monday 20 April 1936

Aircraft Type: Douglas DC-2-115K

Owner/operator: CLS – Ceskoslovensk Leteck Spolecnost

Registration Number: OK-AIA

Location: near Elburg – ÿ Netherlands

Phase of Flight: Approach

Status: Destroyed, written off

Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 12

Component Affected: Radio equipment (specifically the radio transmitter and receiver).Radio equipment (specifically the radio transmitter and receiver).

Category: Accident

On March 19, 2023, at 19:26 hours, the Douglas DC-2 aircraft named ‘Praha’ experienced a forced landing in a field adjacent to the Puttenerallee near Elburg, approximately 70 km East of Schiphol Airport. The pilot, Karl Balik, and radio operator, W. Mika, were injured. The aircraft’s landing lights were ineffective due to severe snow and a storm, and the captain’s windshield was obscured by snow. The flight was cleared to land, but the DC-2 wandered around, attempting to find the airport. The weather conditions were poor, with heavy snow and high winds. The flight was attempting to reach Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, but experienced problems obtaining a bearing to the destination. The controller at Schiphol kept contact with the flight, continuously supplying heading information while two other aircraft were approaching for landing. The flight was cleared to land, but the DC-2 wandered around, trying to find the airport. The aircraft’s landing lights were ineffective in the snow storm and the captain’s windshield was obscured by snow. The captain opened a side window but this did not help. A flare chute was dropped, but the crew were unable to observe the surroundings. The aircraft hit trees and impacted a field next to the Puttenerallee near Elburg, about 70 km East of Schiphol Airport.On March 19, 2023, at 19:26 hours, the Douglas DC-2 aircraft named ‘Praha’ experienced a forced landing in a field adjacent to the Puttenerallee near Elburg, approximately 70 km East of Schiphol Airport. The pilot, Karl Balik, and radio operator, W. Mika, were injured. The aircraft’s landing lights were ineffective due to severe snow and a storm, and the captain’s windshield was obscured by snow. The flight was cleared to land, but the DC-2 wandered around, attempting to find the airport. The weather conditions were poor, with heavy snow and high winds. The flight was attempting to reach Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, but experienced problems obtaining a bearing to the destination. The controller at Schiphol kept contact with the flight, continuously supplying heading information while two other aircraft were approaching for landing. The flight was cleared to land, but the DC-2 wandered around, trying to find the airport. The aircraft’s landing lights were ineffective in the snow storm and the captain’s windshield was obscured by snow. The captain opened a side window but this did not help. A flare chute was dropped, but the crew were unable to observe the surroundings. The aircraft hit trees and impacted a field next to the Puttenerallee near Elburg, about 70 km East of Schiphol Airport.

Description

The Douglas DC-2 named “Praha” forced landed in a field at Doornspijk on its first scheduled flight Prague-Amsterdam due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot (Karl Balik, 32) and the radio operator (W. Mika, 29) were injured. The mechanic (F. Strunk) and the nine passengers were not injured. The crew experienced problems obtaining a bearing to the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. At 19:26 hours it appeared the flight had flown past the airport. The controller at Schiphol kept in touch with the flight, continuously supplying heading information while two other aircraft were coming in for landing. Contact was lost at the moment the flight was cleared to land. The DC-2 wandered around, trying to find the airport. Weather was poor due to a snow storm. Running out of fuel, the captain decided to perform a forced landing. The aircraft’s landing lights were ineffective in the snow storm and the captain’s windshield was obscured by snow. He opened a side window but this did not help. A flare chute was dropped, but the crew were unable to observe the surroundings. The aircraft hit trees and impacted a field next to the Puttenerallee near Elburg, about 70 km ENE of Schiphol Airport. De oorzaak van de gedwongen landing moet naar het oordeel van ondergetekende uitsluitend gezicht worden: 1e. In het uitgeput raken van de radio-accumulator van het vliegtuig, waardoor de radiozendinstallatie buiten werking werd gesteld. 2e. In het niet functioneren van de volumeregeling van den radio-ontvanger aan boord van het vliegtuig, waardoor, in verband met de hevige atmosferische storingen, de ontvangst aan boord nagenoeg onmogelijk werd. 3e. In de beslissing van den bestuurder, die hoewel hij wist, dat hij zicht in de onmiddellijke nabijheid van het luchtvaartterrein bevond en op de hoogte was van de weersomstandigheden aldaar (wolkenhoogte 50-100 meter doch zicht 2-4 km) niet beproefde te landen, toen de radioverbinding verbroken werd, doch uit vrees voor botsing met andere vliegtuigen zich van het luchtvaartterrein verwijderde, waarna hij bij gebrek aan orientatie door middel van de radio zijn koers geheel kwijt raakte. Daarbij kwam de vrees van den bestuurder geen benzine meer te hebben en boven zee te geraken, alsmede zijn angst tegen de hoogspanningsleiding op de Veluwe te vliegen.