Crash site | Bushire Airport, Iran |
Airline | KLM Royal Dutch Airlines |
Aircraft | Douglas DC-2 – PH-AKM – Maraboe |
Route | Batavia – Jodhpur – Bushire – Bagdad – Amsterdam |
Crew | 4 – all survived |
Passengers | 7 – all survived |
The crash
KLM operated a passenger and mail route between the Dutch Indies (today Indonesia) and the Netherlands.
Early in the morning the plane started off from Bushire airport which was known for its uneven and bumpy runway. The plane ran 300 metres and at a speed of 120 km/h it hit a bump on the runway and the right landing gear was sheared off and a fuelpipe caught fire. Crew and passengers were unhurt, but the plane was completely destroyed in the fire.
The mail
KLM sent out the Douglas DC-2 “Rietvink” from Amsterdam in order to take over the passengers, crew and mail.
Most of the cargo was destroyed in the fire. Of 116 kg of mail only 23 kg could be recovered and this in very charred condition. Most of the mail was destined for the Netherlands where it was forwarded in service covers with a mimeographed explanation on the service cover.
I have only seen one cover addressed to a Nordic country and this cover to Denmark has no special markings.
A cover from Thailand to Sweden also exists.
Examples of mail
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Registered cover from Thailand postmarked “BANGKOK 13-7-35” to Copenhagen, Denmark. No special markings. Thiesen Collection. |