![](https://images.twnmm.com/c55i45ef3o2a/5h9OFIu3H0c1QQ4uvZv15q/404985377aee6f3ad32a5442f65b43f1/1280px-De_trap_naar_het_viaduct_waarnaast_het_vliegtuig_neerkwam_ligt_nog_vol_met_broks__Bestanddeelnr_931-7303.jpg?fm=webp&q=80&w=3840)
The tragedy of the NLM Flight 431 that flew into a tornado
On this day in weather history, a plane crashed in the Netherlands due to a tornado.
This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by Chris Mei from The Weather Network, featuring stories about people, communities and events and how weather impacted them.
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On Tuesday, October 6, 1981, NLM CityHopper Flight 431 crashed. The aircraft was carrying four crew and 13 passengers — there were no survivors.
The flight was scheduled to fly from Rotterdam (Netherlands) to Hamburg (Germany) with a stopover in Eindhoven (Netherlands).
The captain was Jozef Werner, a 33-year-old who had been with NLM CityHopper for almost 11 years. Werner had 4,900 flight hours under his belt. He was accompanied by first officer Hendrik Schoorl, a 28-year-old with 2,971 hours of flight time.
![1280px-De trap naar het viaduct waarnaast het vliegtuig neerkwam ligt nog vol met broks, Bestanddeelnr 931-7303](https://images.contentful.com/c55i45ef3o2a/4bCGnGMVU4dGGKgbWBgF4L/20f631645bac8095473ef5b8db2aa8f7/1280px-De_trap_naar_het_viaduct_waarnaast_het_vliegtuig_neerkwam_ligt_nog_vol_met_broks__Bestanddeelnr_931-7303.jpg?w=3840&q=80&fm=webp)
Courtesy of Rob Croes/Wikipedia/CC0
Exactly 44 minutes before the aircraft took off, the crew received a weather brief stating that there were strong thunderstorms that accounted for 37.5 per cent of sky coverage close to the departing airport.
The plane took off at 5:04 p.m. Five minutes later, the crew noted heavy rain on the airplane's weather avoidance radar. At 5:12 p.m., the plane flew into a tornado.
![NLM CityHopper Fokker F28-4000 Volpati-1](https://images.contentful.com/c55i45ef3o2a/4wW1lwZB5xqUvhBOGUpg0T/5a4164002ffc3e92737707f49e276493/NLM_CityHopper_Fokker_F28-4000_Volpati-1.jpg?w=3840&q=80&fm=webp)
"PH-CHI, the aircraft involved in the accident, is seen here in May 1981." Courtesy Christian Volpati/Wikipedia/GFDL 1.2
A police officer saw the tornado and took photos of it. A few minutes later, the officer then saw smoke and the burning plane.
An investigation of the incident revealed that the event was caused by a pressure drop associated with the tornado. The tornadic winds caused the plane’s starboard wing to detach. The plane then fell from 910 m and crashed near Moerdijk.
To learn more about the NLM CityHopper Flight 431, listen to today's episode of "This Day In Weather History."
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