EC-BZR, the aircraft involved in the accident
| |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 December 1972 (1972-12-03) |
| Summary | Loss of control due to spatial disorientation |
| Site | Near Tenerife-Norte Los Rodeos Airport 28°29′1.33″N 16°20′36.20″W / 28.4837028°N 16.3433889°W / 28.4837028; -16.3433889 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Convair 990 Coronado |
| Operator | Spantax |
| Registration | EC-BZR |
| Flight origin | Tenerife-Norte Los Rodeos Airport |
| Destination | München-Riem Airport |
| Passengers | 148 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 155 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On December 3, 1972, a Convair CV-990 Coronado charter flight operated by Spantax from TenerifetoMunich with 148 passengers and 7 crew crashed while taking off from Tenerife-Norte Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife, killing all 155 passengers and crew onboard. Many of the passengers were West German tourists heading home.
The aircraft involved was a Convair 990 Coronado, MSN 30-10-25, registered as EC-BZR. It was delivered to American Airlines on 8 May 1962 and was leased to two airlines before being finally sold to Spantax on 8 May 1972. The aircraft was equipped with four General Electric CJ805-23B engines.[1][2]
Spantax 275 was a chartered Flight by the Landesverband Bayerischer Omnibusunternehmer, a community of Bavarian bus company owners. Conditions that morning were IFR with a reported visibility of about only 150 m (500 ft). The Flight was cleared for take-off on runway 30 at 6:45 UTC. At 91 m (300 ft) the aircraft entered a steep bank and soon began to descend. The left Wing hit the ground about 325 metres (1,066 ft) past the end of the runway, rupturing a fuel tank before the rest of the fuselage touched down. A massive explosion of the almost fully fueled tanks followed. [1][3][4][5] All 155 people aboard were killed upon impact.[1][6]
At the time, the accident was the deadliest aircraft crash on the island of Tenerife, to be surpassed by the Tenerife airport disaster five years later. It was the eighth loss and deadliest accident involving a Convair 990 Coronado.[7]
The investigation was conducted by the Spanish Police’s air crash investigation council. German investigators also arrived, but were barred from investigating by the authorities. Due to the unstable Political situation unfolding, Authorities suspected a bomb could have brought the aircraft down. This was quickly dismissed after a close look determined no signature blast damage. A theory of an engine failure was also dismissed early on. The Investigators concluded that the captain had experienced a somatogyral illusion in the low visibility. The investigators also faulted the ATC controller for letting the aircraft take off in conditions it was not certified to fly in. The conditions were caused by clouds moving through the airport, a common problem. The board recommended air traffic control to inform crews about the conditions via the newly developed ATIS, which was introduced about a year later. The council also recommended training on spatial illusions for Pilots.
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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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Aviation accidents and incidents in Spain
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