History
The Douglas C-47A/RD4D 'Dakota' with registration number 079 had been purchased by the Dutch 'Navy Airforce Service' (MLD) from the Dutch Royal Air Force as one of four planes that were intended to serve in Dutch New Guinea until new P2V-7B Lockheed Neptune patrol planes were available.
The 079 was deployed in a nighttime training mission on January 2nd, 1961, to drop parachute torches near the Navy Flight Camp Biak.
The aircraft was not fitted with a special dropping installation for parachute torches. Therefore, the torches were manually dropped from the cargo hatch of the Dakota.
Under the command of second class navy lieutenant pilot Bernard (Benno) Smits, the aircraft left the Biak flight camp at 18.37. After three practice take-offs and landings, they reported that they would start with dropping the torches and the aircraft turned towards the sea. Something must have gone wrong with the fifth torch after dropping the fourth torch in the first series of of torches and a fire broke out on board of the Dakota.
At first it seemed that the aircraft would make an emergency landing on Biak flight camp, but it turned sharply to sea and descended quickly. At 20.17 it crashed into the sea and the fuel exploded.
All crew members died. Three of the five men on board were found during the searches for the bodies. They were buried on Biak and were transported to the honorary burial site Kembang Kuning in Surabaya in 1974.
Crew:
- B. Smits, navy lieutenant/pilot of the second class, old category, first pilot - plane commander
- R. Mulder, sergeant-pilot - second pilot (missing)
- G.H. Bontius, sergeant-general airplane technician - first mechanic and loadmaster
- M.H. van de Wiel, corporal - airplane technician, constable and gunner
- G.F.G. Immers, corporal airplane technician - 2nd mechanic (missing)
A controversy arose around the accident with the 079 concerning the background and the responsibility of the Dutch Royal Navy (see the piece by D.F.C. Kuperus under references).
Status
On January 2nd, 2011, a plaquette honoring the memory of the accident was revealed at the national monument for the Dutch East Indies 1945-162 in Roermond, the Netherlands.