El Al Flight 1862
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.
![]() Aftermath of the disaster | |
Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 4 October 1992 |
Summary | Crashed following dual engine separation and loss of control |
Site | Amsterdam-Zuidoost, Netherlands 52°19′8″N 4°58′30″E / 52.31889°N 4.97500°E |
Total fatalities | 43 |
Total injuries | 26 |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Boeing 747-258F |
Operator | El Al |
Registration | 4X-AXG |
Flight origin | John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, US |
Stopover | Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Netherlands |
Destination | Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel |
Occupants | 4 |
Passengers | 1 |
Crew | 3 |
Fatalities | 4 |
Survivors | 0 |
Ground casualties | |
Ground fatalities | 39 |
Ground injuries | 26 (11 serious, 15 minor) |
Accident
changeThe Boeing 747 cargo slams into the 11 story apartment building, killing all 4 people on board plus 43 people on the ground and injuring 26 others.
It is the deadliest aviation accident to occur in the Netherlands.
In popular culture
changeThe crash was depicted in National Geographic documentaries Seconds From Disaster episode "Amsterdam Air Crash" and Air Crash Investigation episode "High Rise Catastrophe".