KLM Flight 844 was a flight operated by Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (KLM) that departed from Amsterdam and was destined for Sydney, Australia. On July 16, 1957, as the aircraft traversed the waters near the Schouten Islands in what was then known as Netherlands New Guinea, it encountered extremely poor weather, including cloud cover and storm conditions that led to instrumental challenges for the pilots. The Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, a large and popular airliner of the time, was full of passengers traveling internationally, returning home or visiting family. Despite the crew's attempts to navigate the adverse conditions, the aircraft ultimately lost altitude and crashed into the ocean. The wreckage was difficult to locate, and extensive search efforts did not reveal any survivors among the 58 onboard, which included both passengers and crew members.

In the aftermath of the crash, investigations were launched to determine the factors contributing to the accident. The findings pointed to a combination of navigational errors due to the degraded weather conditions and potentially inadequate real-time weather updates. This incident highlighted not only the dangers associated with aviation during this era but also the necessity for improving communication and safety protocols in air travel, especially over remote or less accessible regions like the waters surrounding the Schouten Islands.