During the preparatory works for the construction of the solar farm at Groningen Airport Eelde, several pieces of wreckage from a Pander EC 60 were found. The discovery was made in the subsoil, on the airport's central terrain, between the apron and the taxiway. The aircraft has been handed over to the Aviodrome aviation park in Lelystad.

Plane crash in 1931
Several parts of the plane wreckage were found. Among others, a small radial engine, pieces of wood, wheels with spokes, the shock absorbers, unique brass fuel tanks and foot pedals led to the remains of the Pander type of aircraft. A Pander was a double-decker aeroplane of Dutch manufacture. A dip in the archives points to the story of pilot Haijo Hindriks. As an alderman, Haijo Hindriks was one of the founders of Eelde airfield. On 9 June 1931, he crashed his plane at Groningen Airport Eelde. The pilot was badly injured when he was pulled out of the wreckage and taken to the hospital in Groningen, where he died shortly after from his injuries. His aircraft, a Pander EC60 with fuselage code PH-AEV, was subsequently stored in one of the hangars for further investigation. During the German invasion in May 1940, during the Second World War, the hangar was destroyed and the wreckage was finally dumped in a bomb crater.

Donation to Aviodrome
The parts of the Pander were donated by Groningen Airport Eelde, in collaboration with ECG Air Branch from Wijchen(Explosive Clearance Group), to aviation and theme park Aviodrome in Lelystad. Raymond Oostergo, manager collection and flight operations Aviodrome: ''The arrival of Pander EC 60 is a very welcome addition to our collection, as we have never owned this iconic aircraft before. The story behind it makes it a unique donation''.

Soil testing
The reason for the discovery is the soil investigation in preparation for the construction of the solar park at Groningen Airport Eelde. The ammunition detection company Explosive Clearance Group (ECG) has carried out an inspection commissioned by GroenLeven B.V. and Groningen Airport Eelde to check the subsoil for ammunition, which could pose a risk to the construction and development of the solar park. Head of department Coen Cornelissen of the aircraft salvage division (ECG Air Branch): "A find of a double-decker in the Netherlands is extremely rare, and certainly one of Dutch manufacture. Only during the reclamation of the Flevopolder were pieces of a double decker found. Then it was a German Gotha bomber from the First World War. It is fantastic that we can bring history very close this way''.

(Source: press release of Groningen Airport Eelde, dated 13 June 2019)