Iberia Airlines Flight 602

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Iberia Airlines Flight 602
Iberia - Sud SE-210 Caravelle VI-R.jpg
An Iberia Sud Aviation Caravelle similar to the one in the incident
Accident
Date7 January 1972
Summary Controlled flight into terrain
SiteSierra de Atalayasa, Spain
Aircraft type Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle
Operator Iberia
Registration EC-ATV
Flight origin Valencia Airport
Destination Ibiza Airport
Occupants104
Passengers98
Crew6
Fatalities104
Survivors0

On 7 January 1972, Iberia Airlines Flight 602 crashed into a mountain near Ibiza Town, Spain. The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle operating the flight had taken off from Valencia Airport in Valencia, Spain, destined for Ibiza Airport on the Balearic island of Ibiza, also in Spain. All 98 passengers and 6 crew died in the crash.

Contents

The crash

Flight 602 was a domestic service flight that took off from Valencia Airport bound for Ibiza. The aircraft was a Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle, under the command of a 37-year-old captain with 7,000 flying hours' experience. [1] On board were 6 crew and 98 passengers, most of whom were Valencia natives returning to Ibiza for work after the holidays. [2]

At approximately 12:15 p.m., the aircraft's captain radioed Ibiza Airport, requesting permission to descend to 5,500 feet (1,676 meters). Ibiza Airport sources reported that he also said, "Get me a beer ready, we are here." [2]

The aircraft was approaching Runway 07 when it descended below 2,000 feet (610 meters). [3] Reportedly, neither the captain nor the co-pilot noticed the dangerous descent, as they were discussing a football match with the airport tower controller. [3] Flight 602 struck Mount Atalayasa approximately 90 feet (30 meters) below its 1,515-foot (462-meter) summit. [2] [4] The aircraft exploded on impact. All 98 passengers and 6 crew on board were killed. [1]

At the time of the crash, visibility was approximately 5–10 miles and the weather was described as high overcast with broken clouds.

Cause

It was ruled that the pilot had failed to maintain the minimum flight altitude for a visual approach to Runway 07. [5]

Related Research Articles

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Sud Aviation Caravelle Twin-jet narrow-body airliner produced 1958-1972


The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle is a French jet airliner produced by Sud Aviation. It was developed by SNCASE in the early 1950s, and made its maiden flight on 27 May 1955. It include some de Havilland designs and components developed for the de Havilland Comet. SNCASE was then merged into the larger Sud Aviation conglomerate before the aircraft entered revenue service on 26 April 1959 with Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). Until the production end in 1972, 282 have been built. It was operated in every continent until its retirement in 2005.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1973:

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1976:

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1977, This is the year of the second-deadliest air disaster in history, the Tenerife airport disaster. Here are the aviation events of 1977:

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Ibiza Airport

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JAT Airways Flight 769 1973 aviation accident in Yugoslavia

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SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730

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Iberia Airlines Flight 062

Iberia Airlines Flight 062 was a twin-engined Sud Aviation Caravelle registered EC-BDD operating a scheduled flight from Málaga Airport, Spain, to London Heathrow Airport. While on approach to Heathrow on 4 November 1967, the Caravelle descended far below the flight level assigned to it and flew into the southern slope of Blackdown Hill in West Sussex, killing all 37 on board.

Aviaco Flight 118 1973 plane crash in Spain

Aviaco Flight 118 was a Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle operated by Aviaco that crashed in the village of Montrove, Spain on 13 August 1973, while attempting to land at Alvedro Airport in heavy fog. The aircraft crashed into an abandoned farmhouse approximately 2 kilometres from the airport. All 85 persons on board perished in the crash and subsequent fire. One person in the village also died.

Air France Flight 2005

Air France Flight 2005 of 12 September 1961 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Paris-Orly Airport to Casablanca Airport with a stop at Rabat-Salé Airport. The Sud Aviation Caravelle aircraft crashed that day at 21:09 GMT near a place called Douar Doum 8.4 km from the threshold of runway 04 and 1.4 km to the left of the extended centreline at a height of 87.5m above sea level, killing all 77 people on board, including 6 crew members. The weather was foggy and unfavourable for landing.

Iberia Airlines Flight 610

Iberia Airlines Flight 610 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Madrid to Bilbao, Spain. On 19 February 1985, a Boeing 727-200 operating the flight crashed into a television antenna on the summit of Mount Oiz in Biscay near Bilbao. All 141 passengers and 7 crew on board died. The crash is the deadliest aviation disaster in both Basque Country and Iberia history.

Air France has been in operation since 1933. Its aircraft have been involved in a number of major accidents and incidents. The deadliest accident of the airline occurred on June 1, 2009, when Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330-203, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean with 228 fatalities. A selected list of the most noteworthy of these events is given below.

Sterling Airways Flight 296 1972 aviation accident in Dubai

On 14 March 1972, Sterling Airways Flight 296 crashed into a mountain ridge on approach to Dubai near Kalba, United Arab Emirates. Flight 296 was a charter flight from Colombo to Copenhagen with stops in Bombay, Dubai, and Ankara. All 112 passengers and crew on board died in the crash which was attributed to pilot error. The flight was operated by a Sud Aviation Caravelle, registration OY-STL. To date, it is the deadliest air disaster to involve a Caravelle and the deadliest air disaster in the history of the United Arab Emirates.

Thai Airways International Flight 601

Thai Airways International Flight 601 was a Sud Aviation Caravelle that crashed into the sea on landing at the former Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong, in a typhoon on Friday. 30 June 1967.

Indian Airlines Flight 171

Indian Airlines Flight 171 was a Caravelle that crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Bombay Airport on 12 October 1976, killing all 95 persons on board. Metal fatigue in a compressor-disc had caused the casing to burst, cutting fuel lines and starting an engine fire, which sent the aircraft out of control.

1986 Aerovías Guatemala air crash

The 1986 Aerovías Guatemala air crash occurred on 18 January 1986 and involved a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III that crashed into a hill on approach to Santa Elena Airport, Flores, Guatemala after a short flight from Guatemala City's La Aurora International Airport. All 93 passengers and crew on board were killed, making it the worst air disaster in Guatemalan history.

1974 Sterling Airways Tehran Caravelle accident

The 1974 Sterling Airways Tehran Caravelle accident happened when a Sud Aviation Caravelle, operated by Sterling Airways, experienced a landing gear failure as it was taxiing for take-off. The right main landing gear collapsed, which caused the right wing to contact the runway, rupturing a fuel tank and igniting the spilt fuel. The fire killed 15 passengers and injured 37 passengers and crew. The aircraft had been chartered by tour company Tjæreborg to take tourists around Asia, and was on the way back to Copenhagen when the accident happened. The accident came only two years after the crash of Sterling Airways Flight 296.

References

  1. 1 2 "Spanish jet crashes; 104 aboard killed". The Blade . Toledo, Ohio. 7 January 1972. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Pilot calls for beer, then boom". Windsor Star . Windsor, Ontario. 8 January 1972. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Sud Aviation: Iberia EC-ATV – 07 January 1972". SudAviation.com. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  4. "Aircraft accident Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VIR EC-ATV Sierra de Atalayasa". Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  5. Gero, David (1996). Aviation Disasters Second Edition. Patrick Stephens Limited. p. 104.

Coordinates: 38°54′13″N1°15′04″E / 38.90361°N 1.25111°E / 38.90361; 1.25111