M-57 Aerovan

A small twin-engined transport plane. Intended for short range flights, the Aerovan was made of wood and had an extra-large rear loading hatch. The plane was originally developed for transporting lobsters from Tunis to France. The Aerovan was purchased on behalf of the IAF in England, by Imanuel Tzur, for £3,500.

It was flown to Israel and joined the First Squadron in early June of 1948. Its short landing capability - as short as 300 meters - made it the right plane for transporting passengers and supplies to beseiged Jerusalem. These flights, which often carried members of the Provisional Government, were quite dangerous ones: the airstrip at 'Emek Hamatzleva was exposed to strong winds, as well as to enemy snipers.

Its ungainly appearance earned the Airvan the nickname 'Pregnant goose'. In July of 1948, an Aerovan took off from beseiged Kalia, on the northern bank of the Dead Sea, to Tel Aviv, with women and children on board. For reasons that have never been discovered, the pilot - a Mahal volunteer - had to land the plane in the sand dunes south of Bat-Yam. The pilot and passengers were murdered.
museum don't have any fragments only that one photo...