Groningen Airport donates unique pieces to Aviodrome

Today Aviodrome Aviation Museum took delivery of parts of a unique historic aircraft, the Pander EC60. The donation was made by Groningen Airport Eelde, where the Pander was discovered during works. This heritage will be included in Aviodrome's collection.

Raymond Oostergo, Manager of Collection and Flight Operations at Aviodrome: "The arrival of Pander EC60 is a very welcome addition to our collection. Aircraft by Pander, a Dutch builder in the early years of aviation, were missing from our collection until now. The story behind this particular aircraft, found at Groningen Airport Eelde, makes it a unique donation."

1931, the last flight of Pander EC60

Several parts of the plane were found. Among others, a small radial engine, pieces of wood, wheels with spokes and pedals led to the remains of the Pander EC60 aircraft type. A dip into the archives pointed to the story about pilot Haijo Hindriks. A pioneer in Dutch aviation and co-founder of Eelde airfield. On June 9, 1931, he crashed his plane at Groningen Airport Eelde and died of his injuries. His aircraft, a Pander EC60 with the fuselage code PH-AEV, was subsequently stored in one of the hangars for further investigation. During a raid in 1940 during World War II, the hangar was destroyed, after which the wreckage was deposited in a bomb crater.

Wreckage found during works

During the preparatory works of the construction of a solar park at Groningen Airport Eelde, wreckage of a Pander EC60 was found. Several parts of the aircraft, which came down in 1931, were found. The find was made in the subsoil on the center area of the airport, between the apron and the taxiway.

Salvage with precautions

The reason for the find is the soil investigation in preparation for the construction of the solar park at Groningen Airport Eelde. The organization ECG (Explosive Clearance Group) carried out an inspection on behalf of GroenLeven and Groningen Airport Eelde to check for underground munitions that could pose risks to the construction and development process of the solar park. Coen Cornelissen, ECG Group: "The wreckage of the plane is a unique find with a special story. It is fantastic that we can bring history very close in this way."