1942 KNILM Douglas DC-3 Shootdown

1942 KNILM Douglas DC-3 Shootdown

On 3 March 1942, PK-AFV a Douglas DC-3-194 airliner, operated by KNILM was shot down over Australia by Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service fighter aircraft, resulting in the deaths of four passengers and the loss of diamonds worth an estimated A£150,000–300,000 (the equivalent of A$9.5–19 million in 2010). It is widely believed that the diamonds were stolen following the crash, although no-one has ever been convicted of a crime in relation to their disappearance.

PK-AFV Pelikaan had been operated by KLM and KNILM since 25 August 1937. It was on a flight from Bandung, Dutch East Indies (later Indonesia), to Broome, Australia when it was attacked by Japanese aircraft that were carrying out an attack on Broome. PK-AFV crash-landed on a beach at Carnot Bay, 80 km (50 mi) north of Broome.

Pelikaan was initially registered as PH-ALP and was based in the Netherlands. On 10 May 1940, while the Pelikaan was en route to Asia, Nazi forces invaded the Netherlands. PK-AFV was transferred to Royal Netherlands Indies Airways (KNILM) and was re-registered as PK-AFV. The aircraft is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a C-47 Skytrain or Douglas Dakota, which were names given to the military variant of the DC-3.