Mysteries surround the crash of El Al flight 1862 in Amsterdam

On 4 October 1992, El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 cargo plane of the Israeli airline El Al, crashed into the Groeneveen and Klein-Kruitberg flats in the Bijlmermeer (or in short "Bijlmer") neighbourhood Amsterdam, The Netherlands. A total of 43 people were killed, consisting of the plane's crew of three and a non-revenue passenger in a jump seat, plus 39 persons on the ground. Many more were injured.

The Cause of the Crash

Research indicated that one of the fuse pins holding the engine nacelle to the wing broke due to fatigue which caused the no. 3 pylon and engine to separate from the wing in such a way that a safe landing became highly improbable and the plane crashed.

Cargo Concerns

Soon after the disaster it was announced that the El Al Boeing 747 had contained fruit, perfumes, and computer components. Dutch Minister Hanja Maij-Weggen asserted that she was certain that the plane contained no military cargo and Els Borst, minister of public health, stated that "no extremely toxic, very dangerous, or radioactive materials") were on board the plane.

In September 1993, the media reported that the El Al Boeing contained dangerous cargo. Some portion of the cargo proved to be Israeli national defense materials. It was also reported that a third of the cargo had not been physically inspected and that the cargo listings had not been checked.

The survivors' health complaints following the crash increased the number of questions about the cargo.

Health issues

After about a year, numbers of residents and service personnel began approaching doctors with physical health complaints. Insomnia, chronic respiratory infections, general pain and discomfort, impotence, flatulence, and bowel complaints were all reported. 67% of the affected patients were found to be infected with Mycoplasm, and suffered from symptoms similar to the Gulf War Syndrome or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-like symptoms.

In juni 1993 Trouw (a major dutch newspaper) reported that on the morning of 5 October about 20 or so men dressed in "white suits" were seen. According to multiple eyewitnesses the men in question did not speak Dutch and they took evidence away from the crash site underneath a white blanket. Up till this day it is still unknown who these men were and what they were doing at the crash site. After years of discussion the men in white suits finaly got some political attention in 1997.

In October of that year questions were asked in parliament and after 6 months Minister Els Borst came with the answer that there was no relation between the men in white suits and the health issues. Meanwhile the Rijksrecherche (part of the Dutch Police) started an investigation into the men in white suits. In the media further speculations followed, het Algemeen Dagblad (another major newspaper) reported that the men were flown in by helicopter. Trouw reported they arrived in a car with french licence plates. Also reports appeared that in the days after the crash secret flights between The Netherlands and Israel were made. Speculation that the El Al-Boeing was carrying a secret military cargo became more and more accepted.

Conclusions

The Rijksrecherche concluded that the men in white suits were in fact people working for the GG&GD (Municipal Health Services). The also concluded that Israelis had been at the crash site. Following these findings the Rijksrecherche were instructed to continue the investigation. Several follow-up studies took place, but the uncertainty could not be removed. The "men in white suits" were widely covered in the parliamentary inquiry. The committee could not explain all observations. The committee did concluded however that it was likely that evidence had disappeared from the crash site.

In January 1998 a committee (the committee Hoekstra) was set. This committee concluded in July 1998 that the government had acted "inconsistent" in the collection of the Consignments and that 20 tons of cargo could not be traced. The NRC Handelsblad (major dutch newspaper) later published reports that the plane was carrying the substance DMMP, which can be used for the production of the chemical weapon Sarin. The mystery of the cargo had already led to diplomatic tensions between the Netherlands and Israel. At ministerial level discussions took place and information was transferred. The last questions about the cargo and El-Al were answered by the Israeli to the parliamentary inquiry. The committee concluded that the unknown load of 20 tons included mostly computer parts and that there were no dangerous materials.

External Reference

The Bijlmer Crash - Joe Vialls - Caught in a Lie