1956 Eindhoven Lockheed T-33 crash

On 22 September 1956, a Lockheed T-33 of the Royal Netherlands Air Force crashed at c. 01:45pm in a housing block in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The pilot and one person on the ground were killed. Four houses burned down, twelve houses partly burned down and many more were severely damaged.

The pilot had recently married and lived with his wife at the place where the crash occurred. It was the first solo flight of the pilot. He deliberately ignored his instructions and safety rules and flew above his own house. The crash was likely due to a misjudgment resulting from his inexperience.

Flight and crash

In the afternoon of 22 September 1956, a Lockheed T-33 training plane of the Royal Netherlands Air Force departed from Volkel Air Base. According to the Royal Netherlands Air Force, the pilot was instructed to make a reconnaissance flight, followed by a few landings at Volkel Air Base. At around 01:45pm, the aircraft approached Eindhoven from south-east direction. According to eyewitnesses, the jet circled a few times above Strijp before the crash. The jet came in low at only a few hundred metres according to eyewitnesses at a high speed. It looked like the pilot wanted to land because he was flying so low. The wing of the jet hit the top of the house at Zeelsterstraat 166 and crashed into houses a few hundred meters further away. The fuel tanks exploded. The explosion was heard beyond Eindhoven. Due to the rain of burning kerosene, many houses were set on fire. Four houses were totally burned down, twelve houses partly burned down and many more houses were severely damaged.