1946 Apeldoorn Fairey Firefly crash

On 7 October 1946, a Fairey Firefly FR.1 of the Netherlands Naval Aviation Service crashed next to the Hogere Burgerschool in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. The burning fuel tank fell into the gym where 27 students were at the time. Of the 27 students, 22 lost their lives, together with the pilot Max Christern. The pilot's mother died of a heart attack later that day, after she arrived at the scene of the crash and was told about his fate.

Background

The Netherlands Naval Aviation Service had bought 30 British Fairey Firefly planes. The plane is known to be fast, easily maneuverable and has a powerful Rolls-Royce engine. Fifteen of these planes arrived in the Netherlands after a journey of months aboard the aircraft carrier Karel Doorman. The planes would be used at Morokrembagan base on Java, Dutch East Indies.

Flight and crash

The Fairey Firefly departed from Valkenburg Naval Air Base for a half-hour practice flight. The pilot, sergeant Max Christern, was on his first Firefly solo flight. The pilot was given the order to fly in the neighbourhood of the air base to become familiar with the aircraft and then return to the airbase. However, the pilot flew to Apeldoorn where his mother lived. In Apeldoorn he made some dives above the market square. Afterwards he flew in the direction where his mother lived. Christern was flying very low, and probably saw the school tower of the Hogere Burgerschool too late. With an extreme maneuver he managed to avoid the tower, but his right wing touched the left corner of the school building. The wing broke off, tearing open the fuel tank at the bottom of the wing. The fuel tank fell on the roof of the gym and burning fuel flowed into the gym. In the gym were 27 students and the teacher of class 2C at the time. The airplane crashed with Christen inside, into the trees right behind the school building.

Inside the gym there was an enormous fire and enormous smoke development. As a result panic broke out. Most of the students managed to escape the classroom, some while burning. Not everyone managed to escape. Four students who managed to escape jumped into the nearby pond to put out the fire.