Watch a KLM 747 Blow People Into the Ocean at Maho Beach
Today's a sad day for Avgeeks and plane spotters everywhere — it's the last day for KLM's 747 service from Amsterdam (AMS) to St. Maarten (SXM). The flight was iconic because the massive 747 had to land (and take off from) the tiny airport's runway, which is just steps from Maho Beach — one of the most popular destinations for plane spotters. The route will be replaced with nonstop flights from Amsterdam to St. Maarten on an Airbus A330 starting October 30. In honor of the 747's last landing at SXM this morning, we bring you a video of the jet's takeoff and it's aftermath in this installment of crazy aviation videos.
In this clip from March, we see a 747 preparing for takeoff at SXM. As it turns, you can hear the massive engines roaring, with onlookers watching from Maho Beach. The four GE engines get louder and the plane starts to move for its takeoff, and that's where the action begins. The plane creates a massive jet blast resulting in a sort of sandstorm that blows dozens of people right into the ocean.