Fokker F.22

I am born june 3 1926 in a village called Sövde 50 km east of Malmö. I remember the crash of Lappland as we heard it on the radio the same day. The next day there was pictures and a lot written about the accident in the papers. Later I have due to interest found out some facts related to the the case. The Fokker 22 had 4 Junker engines and the pilot, Åblom, was used to the 3-engine Junkers Ju 52 with engines of the same type. The joy sticks for air-fuel mixture and propeller pitch were located in a inverted position in the two type of planes. A difference was also that the pilot with his hand only could grip over three sticks at the time and the operation therefore was diffeerent also due to that fact. When the pilot shortly after take off from Bulltofta wanted to chance the pitch, he by misstake throttled down three of the engines completely and almost also the fourth. The machine lost its upward force and height rapidly. Even though the pilot did not know what was happening, he acted very calm and let the machine first dip steep down to gaine speed for a landing and then elevated the front as much as possible before he landed on a barn roof. A determining factor was also that the already famous Red Cross flyer count Carl-Gustav von Rosen was on board as a passagenger on his way to Ethiopia (Abyssinia). He understood the situation and ordered with strong voice everybody to move backwards in the plane. This action helpt the pilot manoever and at the same time achieved that the passangers were in the less damaged rear part of the plane at the crash. Only one man did not follow him and he was cilled. The pilot Åblom was honoured as a hero so was von Rosen. When it later was found that a pilot error was the cause of the accident, he was not brought to court, but he was not allowed to fly passangers in the ABA until further. His auditary sense was also bad. He worked in the office of ABA. At the very end of the worldwar II, he voluntarely flow to dangerous Berlin several times, whenn the russians were in the suberbs. So he then reclaimed somewahat of his former hero status.
When I round 1995 made some research on this matter, I talked to some still living people, who had memories of the Lappland case, I among others talked to a man, Håkansson or Åkesson, who as a boy had bin standing on the backyard when the Lappland suddenly noiseless came down.
Bo Talm, you mentions your grandparents who had memories of this event, but I belief they are others, because I belief this man was a bachelor.
Bertil Blomstergren

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I have to correct the street number of my GF's home, it was Kirsebergsgatan 40, not 24, and the crash was on his backyard facing Solgatan 27c /d, where the houses now standing were built a few years later. Back then there were only little poor homesteads and shacks, this was Malmos "east end" the poorest (and roughest) quarters. For decades the young boys from 'Backarna' the hills' had bad reputation in Malmo. Kirseberg means Cherry Mountain even if it is only a tiny hill, but still the highest elevation in town.

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I want to add that no fire broke out, and I have not been able to figure out what happened to the wreck, that out of what I remember (from the photos) didn't look too bad, but apparently it was irreparable and scrapped. About the landing gear, if I know it right it was unfold able, a disadvantage against the DC3. Well, the crash, of which I don't know the reason, but it was in summer, no fog, and due to the pictures taken minutes after the crash, there were people allover and it all looked dry, so it was probably a technical failure, and since already one KLM plane had crashed, maybe this was one of the reasons that there were no more orders, but probably, the advent of the DC2, and 3, was the major reason. Bo Talm.
Bo Talm.

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The plane that crashed a few minutes after T /O from Bulltofta AP in Malmo, Sweden in June 1936 was the Swedish "Lappland", reg SE-ABA at ABA, AB Aerotransport, the Swedish part of SAS! I happen to know it very well from the horse's mouth since it crashed in my grandpa's backyard, I've seen pictures and news clips of my mom standing by the nose only a few meters from the living house. Of course it was a big happening for my mom, then 13.
And if it "Lappland had stayed airborne a second more I would not have been able to write this now! The wheels catches a dirt mound and the plane tipped over forward, tail in sky. Only one of the passengers died in the crash at Solgatan Malmo. (The first Swedish air passenger victim). My GF,s house stretched between the address at Kirsebergsgatan 24 and backyard halfway to Solgatan, (check on Googlemaps). Unfortunately the photos were probably lost when my parents died, like other pictures of crashed and emergency landed B17's and B24's at Bulltofta in the war, only 10 min walk from my mothers and GF's home.
Bo Talm, grown up in Malmo, but now in Indianapolis.

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I flew my first flight on G-AFZP in July 1947,from prestwick airport while on holiday.It was also my fathers first flight.The visibility was great owing to the high wings.It was a twenty minute or so joy ride.What a thrill!

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I have a scanned copy from my an RAF flying log belonging to my uncle that lists a flight from "Prestwick to Base" on a Fokker HM159 on the 16.4.43 at 16:05, the pilot is listed as S /DLR Hankins, the flying time is listed as Day .20

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As a young boy I was in the Prestwick Airport Spotters Club, and we inherited some seats from G-AFZP. They still had the original KLM winged markings on the seat covering, but sadly some of the markings had been cut out by the members. I still have a single seat in my garage, but I am sure it realy belongs at Lelystad.

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I flew in this aircraft on August 10th 1936 into Amsterdam Holland. It was not destroyed in June of that year.

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