Incident Overview
Date: Thursday 23 June 1949
Aircraft Type: Lockheed L-749-79-33 Constellation
Owner/operator: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Registration Number: PH-TER
Location: 1,5 km off Bari –
ÿ Italy
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 33 / Occupants: 33
Component Affected: The entire aircraft, specifically the tail section.The entire aircraft, specifically the tail section.
Category: Accident
A KLM Constellation, named ‘Roermond’, experienced a catastrophic breakup during a round-trip flight from Amsterdam to Batavia (Jakarta) and back, resulting in the loss of the aircraft.A KLM Constellation, named ‘Roermond’, experienced a catastrophic breakup during a round-trip flight from Amsterdam to Batavia (Jakarta) and back, resulting in the loss of the aircraft.
Description
The KLM Constellation, named “Roermond”, operated on a round trip from Amsterdam, the Netherlands to Batavia (now Jakarta, Indonesia) and back. The aircraft operated the final leg of the return flight when it took off from Cairo, Egypt, at 05:08 hours. It crossed the Mediterranean Sea and proceeded along the Adriatic shoreline of Italy. According to eyewitnesses the tail section separated from the fuselage and the Constellation broke up in flight. The wreckage fell into the sea just off Bari.
Source of Information
https://www.hdekker.info/Nieuwe%20map/1949.htm#23.06.1949https://www.hdekker.info/Nieuwe%20map/1949.htm#23.06.1949Primary Cause
Aircraft separation during flight, likely due to a structural failure or aerodynamic instability.Aircraft separation during flight, likely due to a structural failure or aerodynamic instability.Share on:
