On 24 July 1928, a KLM-owned Fokker F.III operated a scheduled passenger sightseeing flight from and back to Waalhaven Airport in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The plane with the pilot and five passengers on board stalled shortly after takeoff and crashed after it struck boats in the Waalhaven harbour next to the airport.

It was suggested to tell passengers before the flight where the emergency exit is located, which is nowadays one of the mandatory parts of the pre-flight safety demonstration.

The aircraft had a cruising speed of 135 km/h (84 mph), a maximum take-off weight of 1,900 kg (4,200 lb), and a flight range of 1,000 km (620 mi).

[2] On 29 October 1921, pilot R. Hofstra of the H-NABL found himself lost and had to make a forced landing during the night in the darkness at Waalhaven Airport.

As there was foot and mouth disease in Belgium at the time, the breeding bull “Nico II” was transported by air from Waalhaven Airport to Paris.

[7] Due to the stalled position of the aircraft, the main landing gear and right wing struck boats at the Waalhaven harbor.

[7] Pieter Guilonard, KLM’s chief of technical services, jumped in the water, kicked in the emergency exit, and ripped open the linen of the hull.

Twenty minutes after the crash, he managed to release the unconscious fifth passenger through the exit (some sources stated it was Madam Kappeyne who was saved last[6]).

[7] As KLM had high safety standards, the airline was criticized in the media for using its older airplanes for passenger flights.

[7][9] In November 1928, the investigative committee published their conclusions:[1] Their recommendation was to establish better procedures under which pilots are assigned to fly certain types of aircraft.