ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-2-115E PH-AKG Pian San Giacomo
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Status:
Date:Saturday 20 July 1935
Time:12:15
Type:Silhouette image of generic DC2 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Douglas DC-2-115E
Operator:KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Registration: PH-AKG
MSN: 1335/F13
First flight: 1935
Crew:Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Passengers:Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9
Total:Fatalities: 13 / Occupants: 13
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Pian San Giacomo (   Switzerland)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Milano (unknown airport), Italy
Destination airport:Frankfurt Rhein-Main Airport (FRA/EDDF), Germany
Narrative:
The DC-2, named "Gaai" operated on a passenger service from Milan, Italy to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The aircraft took off at 11:36 hours, bound for Frankfurt, Germany, which was the next planned stop.
Cruising at 5000 m altitude, ice accretion forced the crew to descend. At 3000 m the flight was out of icing conditions. However the aircraft was now flying between clouds shrouded mountains. Attempting to navigate visually, the flight continued at low altitude. Likely the crew entered the wrong mountain pass. They circled a valley, looking for a way out but low clouds and rain made it very difficult to continue flight.
The captain likely decided to perform a gear-up forced landing in the valley. Flaps were selected down and engine power was decreased. In a left hand turn the aircraft stalled and impacted the ground.
The four crew members and the nine passengers died.

Classification:
VFR flight in IMC
Gear-up landing
Forced landing outside airport

Sources:
» Opsomming van de bekende ongevallen en incidenten in 1935 / Herman Dekker
» aviacrash.nl


Photos

photo of Douglas-DC-2-115E-PH-AKG
accident date: 20-07-1935
type: Douglas DC-2-115E
registration: PH-AKG
photo of Douglas-DC-2-115E-PH-AKG
accident date: 20-07-1935
type: Douglas DC-2-115E
registration: PH-AKG
photo of Douglas-DC-2-115E-PH-AKG
accident date: 20-07-1935
type: Douglas DC-2-115E
registration: PH-AKG
photo of Douglas-DC-2-115E-PH-AKG
accident date: 20-07-1935
type: Douglas DC-2-115E
registration: PH-AKG
photo of Douglas-DC-2-115E-PH-AKG
accident date: 20-07-1935
type: Douglas DC-2-115E
registration: PH-AKG
photo of Douglas-DC-2-115E-PH-AKG
accident date: 20-07-1935
type: Douglas DC-2-115E
registration: PH-AKG
photo of Douglas-DC-2-115E-PH-AKG
accident date: 20-07-1935
type: Douglas DC-2-115E
registration: PH-AKG
 
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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Douglas DC-2

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