KLM Flight 676
Fokker F.XII · Controlled flight into terrain during snowstorm; exact cause undetermined
From Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) to Rotterdam, Netherlands
Event
- Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
- Accident
- Event fatalities
- 7 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- Occupants
- Unknown
- Survivors
- 0
- InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
- Unknown
- OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
- Airline
Fokker F.XII
- Aircraft type
- Fokker F XII
- Category
- Airplane · from aircraft type
- RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
- PH-AFL
- Operator
- KLM
- Onboard fatalities
- 7
- Route
- From Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic)To Rotterdam, Netherlands
Cause areas
- Not determined › Not determined
From the investigation findings the Wikipedia article reports, sorted into the NTSB's cause areas with AI assistance.
Approximate · Estimated position: Brilon, near the place the Wikipedia article names. Not the accident site.
From the Wikipedia article
KLM Flight 676 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by KLM that crashed on 6 April 1935 near Brilon, Germany. The aircraft, a Fokker F.XII named Leeuwerik (registration PH-AFL), flew into a mountain during a severe snowstorm and caught fire. All seven people on board were killed.
The crash occurred shortly after the opening of the Amsterdam–Prague air service and was one of several early fatal accidents of the KLM.
Accident
On 6 April 1935, the aircraft departed from Prague, Czechoslovakia for Rotterdam, the Netherlands with an intermediate stop at Halle-Leipzig. After departing the stopover at 13:14 local time, the aircraft encountered extremely poor weather conditions, including a heavy snowstorm, limited visibility of around 200 metres, and thunderstorms.
At 14:39, the pilot reported to Cologne radio station that he was retracting the antenna due to lightning. This was the last communication received from the aircraft..
Shortly afterward, the aircraft crashed into the Burgberg mountain near Brilon in the Sauerland region, approximately 80 kilometres east of Dortmund. The aircraft caught fire on impact and was completely destroyed. All seven occupants were killed.
Contemporary reports described how the aircraft was flying at low altitude in the snowstorm before striking the terrain. Witnesses reported hearing the engines and then a sudden impact followed by flames.
Investigation and cause
Cause
Initial reports suggested that ice accumulation on the wings may have caused the aircraft to lose altitude and crash into the mountain.
However, the official investigation by German authorities concluded that the aircraft had been flying too low for reasons that could not be definitively determined. The report suggested that the pilot may have descended to maintain visual contact with the ground in poor weather conditions. Other possible contributing factors included reduced engine performance or concerns about icing, but the exact cause was never established.
Text from the Wikipedia article “KLM Flight 676” (revision 1372855952, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article
Sources
Wikipedia article: KLM Flight 676
- Article
- KLM Flight 676
- Revision
- 1372855952 · 2026-09-02 · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Wikidata
- Q139586485
- Licence
- Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
- Record
- Wikipedia article "KLM Flight 676" (page 82894127, revision 1372855952)
- Date
- Wikipedia infobox: date
- Place and country
- Wikipedia infobox: site
- Map position
- place the Wikipedia infobox site links (Wikidata coordinates)
- Aircraft, operator and route
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
- Operation
- flight number in the article title
- Fatalities
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
- Ground fatalities
- not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
- Summary
- Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
- Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.