Investigation Summary
The flight was chartered by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht) to transport members of the Fanfarekorps (brass band) of the Royal Netherlands Army back from Italy. The mission began at Verona-Villafranca Airport, where 40 passengers boarded. After a short leg to Rimini-Miramare Airport where three passengers deplaned, the aircraft departed for Eindhoven with 37 passengers and 4 crew members. During the final approach to runway 04 at Eindhoven, the crew observed a large flock of birds and initiated a go-around. During this maneuver, common starlings were ingested into engines No. 1 and No. 2 (both on the left wing), causing an immediate loss of power. In the ensuing emergency, the crew also shut down engine No. 3 and feathered its propeller for reasons that remain unclear. This left the aircraft with only one functioning engine (No. 4) on the far right, creating a severe asymmetrical thrust condition. The Hercules yawed and rolled to the left, crashing into the ground. A fire erupted immediately, fueled by the aircraft's oxygen system. Rescue efforts were severely hampered because the flight plan information, which noted the presence of passengers, had not been communicated to the Eindhoven tower or fire department. Firefighters initially believed they were dealing only with a four-man crew in the cockpit, leading to a fatal delay in searching the cargo hold where the musicians were seated.
Final Conclusions
The investigation (Eindrapport 01-97) concluded that the crash was caused by the ingestion of birds into both left-hand engines during a low-altitude go-around, rendering the aircraft uncontrollable. A significant contributing factor to the high death toll was the lack of communication regarding the passenger manifest. The investigation established that passenger information listed on the flight plan was not transmitted to the destination airport. Consequently, the Eindhoven airbase commander, the head of air traffic control, and the fire department commander were all relieved of their duties following the revelation of the 23 minute delay in passenger rescue.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
The plane crash in The Netherlands everyone forgot.... — A detailed look at the 1996 Eindhoven Hercules disaster, where a bird strike and a breakdown in emergency communications led to 34 fatalities.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Allison T56-A-15 Engines
The four turboprop engines provide thrust; the loss of both engines on the left wing created an unmanageable thrust asymmetry at low speed.
Propeller Feathering System
Used to stop a propeller from spinning and reduce drag after an engine failure; engine 3 was feathered despite not being hit by birds.
Onboard Oxygen System
The system's oxygen supply fed the post-crash fire, significantly increasing its intensity in the forward fuselage.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a Lockheed C-130H Hercules manufactured in 1972.
- 02The passengers were members of the Royal Netherlands Army Fanfarekorps brass band.
- 03Both left-side engines (No. 1 and No. 2) failed due to bird ingestion.
- 04Engine No. 3 was manually shut down and feathered by the crew during the emergency.
- 05The fire was intensified by the aircraft's onboard oxygen system.
- 06The flight plan containing passenger numbers was not transmitted to the destination airport.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Flight Plan Procedure Revision
The investigation recommended changes to ensure passenger information on flight plans is reliably transmitted to destination airports.
Command Accountability
The airbase commander, ATC officer, and fire department commander were relieved of duty due to the failure to identify and rescue passengers in a timely manner.