El Al Flight 1862

Coordinates: 52°19′8″N 4°58′30″E / 52.31889°N 4.97500°E / 52.31889; 4.97500
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El Al Flight 1862
Aftermath of the disaster
Accident
Date4 October 1992; 31 years ago (1992-10-04)
SummaryCrashed following dual engine separation and loss of control
SiteAmsterdam-Zuidoost, Netherlands
52°19′8″N 4°58′30″E / 52.31889°N 4.97500°E / 52.31889; 4.97500
Total fatalities43
Total injuries26
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 747-258F
OperatorEl Al
Registration4X-AXG
Flight originJohn F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, US
StopoverAmsterdam Schiphol Airport, Netherlands
DestinationBen Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel
Occupants4
Passengers1
Crew3
Fatalities4 (all)
Survivors0
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities39
Ground injuries26 (11 serious, 15 minor)

El Al Flight 1862 was an aviation accident that took place on October 4, 1992 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. A Boeing 747 cargo jet from the Israeli airline El Al, coming from New York, made a stopover at the Amsterdam-Schiphol airport to refuel its tanks and carry out various operations on the ground. After this technical stop, the flight was scheduled to continue its journey to Tel Aviv. A few minutes after takeoff, engine number 3 fell off due to metal fatigue with the pins that connected the engine pylon to the wing. Engine number 3 proceeded to knock off engine number 4 from the right wing. The aircraft became uncontrollable and crashed in an Amsterdam neighborhood called Bijlmermeer. For this reason, the accident is also known as the Bijlmer Disaster.

All 4 of the occupants on board were killed, along with 43 ground fatalities when the Boeing 747 slammed into an 11 story apartment building.

The crash is the deadliest aviation disaster to occur in the Netherlands.

In popular culture[change | change source]

The crash was depicted in National Geographic documentaries Seconds From Disaster episode "Amsterdam Air Crash" and Air Crash Investigation episode "High Rise Catastrophe".