Vincent Dekker

Vincent Dekker is a retired Dutch investigative journalist of Dutch national newspaper Trouw.
Dekker wrote for newspaper Trouw for years about El Al Flight 1862. He wrote the book 'Going down going down' (1995). He participated in the documentary series 'Murky Skies' from Israelian documentary maker Noam Pinchas (2023). He advised and played a major role in the drama series Rampvlucht (2022), documentary Rampvlucht (2022) and podcast series Rampvlucht (2022).
In his view many things were wrong in the official investigation of the plane crash. He was opposed and even ridiculed during his research by multiple people and organizations and even colleagues. However, he continued his research on unanswered questions and continued writing about it. Partly because of his works, a parliamentary inquiry was launched in 1998. Up till now (2023) Dekker has not been able to solve any of the so called 'Bijlmer mysteries' from the past 30 years. Dekker has requested politicians to initiate the release of all files regarding the accident investigation from 1992 to the public, so that further research can be done.
El Al Flight 1862 investigation
On 4 October 1992, an Israeli cargo plane crashed in the Amsterdam Bijlmer: El Al Flight 1862.
On the basis of eye witness information Dekker started to reconstruct the crash from the 4th of October 1992. He published several articles in the daily newspaper Trouw. He raised questions about the crash and the investigation. He wrote that a water landing in a lake close to Amsterdam would have been a better decision by the crew that would have resulted in less casualties. He opposed the aviation experts that the main cause of the crash would have been a failure of the engine suspension system of the Boeing 747.
Dekker was supported in his own investigation by the 'Werkgroep Vliegverkeer Bijlmermeer' to answer unanswered and unexplained questions. The Werkgroep was founded in November 1992, a month after the crash. The Werkgroep objected against the intensity of the air traffic over dense populated areas around Schiphol Airport. Dekker concluded on the basis of his own information that events contributing to the cause of the crash could not have developed as communicated by the officials during the accident investigation.
His articles caused concern at the level of the investigation board, Dutch politics and the Israelian government. They feared that the public might already jump to conclusions on the basis of daily newspaper articles before a thourough investigation could be done. Usually an investigation could take months or even years. He was opposed and even ridiculed during his research by people and organisations and even colleague journalists. Two years after the publication of the final accident report by the Dutch Aviation Safety Board (Raad voor de Luchtvaart) according ICAO Annex 13 at 24th of February 1994 (source x), Dekker published his book 'Going down Going down' (1995). With this book Dekker published his opinion about the true reason for the crash and how it could have been prevented.
Mainly because of his articles, from the mid of 1993 questions not directly related to the cause of the accident (such as airplane cargo, unidentified 'men in white suits' and health issues in the Bijlmermeer) started to play a major role in the Dutch media. Dekker started a co-operation with other journalists (mr Pierre Heijboer from the Volkskrant, Mr Joost Oranje from NRC and Rob de Lange from Zembla). He also developed connections with Mr. Rob van Gijzel, a Dutch Parliament Member that believed Dekker's version of events. Since frequent publications and questions kept coming up about dangers resulting from unrecoverd depleted uranium balance weights and cargo chemical substances that could have been a basis for developing nerve gasses in Israel, a Parliament Enquiry was launched in 1998.
Dekker wrote about the following themes: the cockpit voice recorder which was never recovered; inaccurate and incomplete statements made by the Minister the day after the accident that mainly flowers and perfume were on board as cargo; incomplete airway bills. Also Dekker concluded that the route of the aircraft according the radar data would not match with the route registered in the DFDR. Some of his eye witnesses had seen the aircraft at other locations than the authorities had shown on maps. It must be stated that the set of complete DFDR data has never been publicly released because of ICAO 13 accident investigation requirements. However, the outcome of the DFDR data in the form of a plot has been published in the accident report. It must also be stated that a number of eye witnesses disagreed with the position of the aircraft as assumed by Dekker's witnesses. This came to light during the public hearing of the Dutch Safety Board in The Hague in October 1993.
In the aftermath of the disaster many Bijlmer residents felt ill. The residents linked their health complaints with the crash of the airplane. There was social unrest because of this.This social unrest continued up to 1998 when a parliament enquiry was initiated.
With the parliament enquiry in 1999 a great number of questions and possible complot theories were addressed and answered. The conclusions and findings of the final report of the enquiry were accepted by the Dutch parliament. However, political consequences were rejected and the government coalition continued to exist. Dekker, together with his colleague Heijboer and Mr. van Gijzel strongly disagreed with the outcome of the process of the enquiry and all were disappointed that no one at political level took responsibility.
In 2004 Dr. P. Vasterman, media-sociologist and assistent professor at the Amsterdam University - wrote a dissertation about the relation between media hypes and health issues in the aftermath of disasters (bron: 'Ziek van de ramp of van het nieuws over de ramp?). He proved a relationship between social unrest in the Bijlmer and the publications in the Dutch media. Also Dutch journalists had an internal discussion about the way that they had handled the newspaper publications during and after the Bijlmer accident to answer the question if they had truthfully and reliably informed the public. An article was published in 'De groene Amsterdammer'.
Despite the clarifications and evidences given in the report of the Parliament Enquiry in 1999, Dekker stated in the updated version of his book 'Going down going down' (2022) that 'all the facts that he concluded in 1995' remained valid. The new edition of his book was published simulteneously with the start of the drama serie Rampvlucht from KRO-NCRV at the 30 year commemmoration of the crash. Dekker played an essential role in the drama series, the documentary and the podcast series, and advised the scenario writer Michael Leendertse with his vision on the crash.
During his journalistic investigations Dekker was confronted with authorities, politicians and individual experts and even colleague journalists who did not agree with his view and analyses about the accident.
In 2023 Mr. Henk Pruis, who was an accident investigator in the team of the Dutch Aviation Safety Board in 1992 and 1993 and who publicly testified under oath in the parliament enquiry in 1999, reviewed the 2022 version of Dekker's book. He wrote that Dekker has not seen all the evidences related to the aircraft crash. Among those evidences are all Digital Flight Data Recorder data, the factual finding reports of the damage to all engines and the aircraft and detailed expert analyses and reports. This may have contributed to and resulted in Dekker's poorly and questionably substantiated conclusion that there would have been a cover-up at the level of the accident investigation and/or even at government level. He also concluded that Mr. Dekker is very selective in the testimonies of his witnesses and of other events in the aviation history that he uses to substantiate his views. In his opinion Dekker's book is not a balanced review of the accident investigation process and its aftermath. Also, in his opinion essential journalist mistakes have been made working towards the conclusion that the authorities would have covered-up the events (i.e. insufficient checking and not showing respect). In his opinion the release of all accident files allocated at the National Archives would show that there was nothing to hide.
Partly due to Dekker's publications a parliament enquiry into the disaster started in 1998, however, a cover-up at government level could not be proven. The public perception in 2023 is divided, but on social media it can be seen that many people believe Dekker's version of the truth.
Dekker himself was suspiscious that he was being followed by the Israelian secret service, although this could never be proven. He was ridiculed and and even considered a conspiracy theorist. He later was labeled as an influential journalist (number 22 on a list of 100 influential journalists).
VVOJ
Dekker is one of the founding members of the (VVOJ) in 2002. A journalists association to stimulate investigative journalism and improve the media climate for investigative journalism.
References
Dutch journalists