EC-ATV, the aircraft involved in the accident
| |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 7 January 1972 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | Sierra de Atalayasa, Spain 38°54′13″N 1°15′04″E / 38.90361°N 1.25111°E / 38.90361; 1.25111 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle |
| Aircraft name | Maestro Victoria |
| Operator | Iberia |
| Registration | EC-ATV |
| Flight origin | Valencia Airport |
| Destination | Ibiza Airport |
| Occupants | 104 |
| Passengers | 98 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 104 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Iberia Flight 602 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight operated by the Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle that took off from Valencia AirportinValencia, Spain, bound for Ibiza Airport on the Balearic island of Ibiza which crashed into a mountain near the airport. All 98 passengers and 6 crew died in the crash.
The aircraft was a Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle that first flew on 25 June 1963 and was powered by two Rolls-Royce RA-29 Mk.533R Avon turbojet engines. Delivered to Iberia on 9 July, the aircraft was initially named Tomás Luis de Victoria after the Spanish Composer of the same name, though this was later shortened to Maestro Victoria.[1][2]
Flight 602 was under the command of 37-year-old captain José Luis Ballester Sepúlveda, with 7,000 flying hours' experience, first officer Jesús Montesinos Sánchez, and flight engineer Vicente Rodríguez Mesa.[3][4]
Flight 602 was a domestic service flight that took off from Valencia Airport bound for Ibiza. On board were 6 crew and 98 passengers, most of whom were Valencia natives returning to Ibiza for work after the holidays.[5]
At approximately 12:15 p.m., the aircraft's captain radioed Ibiza Airport, requesting permission to descend to 5,500 feet (1,700 m). Ibiza Airport sources reported that he also said, "Get me a beer ready, we are here."[5]
The aircraft was approaching Runway 07 when it descended below 2,000 feet (610 m).[2] Reportedly, neither the captain nor the co-pilot noticed the dangerous descent, as they were discussing a football match with the airport tower controller.[2] Flight 602 struck Mount Atalayasa approximately 90 feet (27 m) below its 1,515-foot (462 m) summit.[5][6] The aircraft exploded on impact. All 98 passengers and 6 crew on board were killed.[3]
At the time of the crash, visibility was approximately 1,515 miles (2,438 kilometers) and the weather was described as high overcast with broken clouds.[citation needed]
It was ruled that the pilot had failed to maintain the minimum flight altitude for a visual approach to Runway 07.[7]
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Aviation accidents and incidents in 1972 (1972)
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Jan 7 Jan 21 Jan 26 Feb 22 Mar 3 Mar 14 Mar 19 Apr 18 East African Airways Flight 720 May 5 May 8 May 18 May 30 Jun 12 Jun 14 Jun 15 Jun 18 British European Airways Flight 548 Jun 24 Jun 29 Lake Winnebago mid-air collision Jul 2 Jul 5 Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 710 Jul 31 Aug 14 Aug 16 Aug 31 Sep 15 Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 130 Sep 24 Sep 24 Sacramento Canadair Sabre accident Oct 1 Oct 13 Oct 13 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 Oct 27 Oct 29 Nov 10 Nov 15 Nov 28 Dec 3 Dec 8 Dec 8 Dec 8 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 631 Dec 20 Chicago–O'Hare runway collision Dec 23 Dec 29 Dec 31 | |
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