Accident Douglas DC-2-115A PH-AJU,

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 342409

Date:	Thursday 20 December 1934
Time:	00:33
Type:	Douglas DC-2-115A
Owner/operator:	KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Registration:	PH-AJU
MSN:	1317/F1
Year of manufacture:	1934
Total airframe hrs:	284 hours
Engine model:	Wright R-1820-F2 Cyclone
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	16 km S of Rutbah Wells - Iraq
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi
Departure airport:	Cairo-Almaza Airport (HEAZ)
Destination airport:	Baghdad International Airport (BGW/ORBI)
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
A Douglas DC-2 operated by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was destroyed in an accident near Rutbah Wells, Iraq. All seven on board were killed.
The airplane, registered PH-AJU and named "Uiver" operated on a Christmas mail and passenger flight from Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport, the Netherlands to Batavia (now named Jakarta, Indonesia). En route stops were made at Marseille (France), Rome (Italy), Athens (Greece) and Cairo (Egypt).
PH-AJU departed Cairo-Almaza Airport at 23:30 local time (21:30 UTC). The flight crew had not yet decided whether to land at Gaza, Rutbah or Baghdad. En route it was decided not to land at Gaza. Last radio contact was at 00:11 UTC with the radio operator at Rutbah.
The flight entered a rainstorm and descended until impacted the ground in a 17° right hand bank and 12° nose down attitude. The airplane crashed and burst into flames.

The "Uiver" was one of the 20 participants in the MacPherson Robertson London-Melbourne air race during in October 1934. It made a famous night time forced landing on a racing track in Albury (Australia), but managed to win the handicap race.

1. The cause of the accident is probably not related to a fire, in-flight break-up or lightning, nor related to failures of a technical nature.
2. It is very likely that the very unfavorable weather conditions along with less favorable handling characteristics of the airplane in severe turbulence and fatigue of the pilot have resulted in a collision with the ground, which caused the catastrophe.

Sources:

aviacrash.nl
hdekker.info

Location

Images:

photo (c) Robert Perry; near Rutbah Wells; December 1934