Iberia Flight 602

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Iberia Flight 602
EC-ATV Iberia Sud Aviation Caravelle, Stockholm Arlanda Airport September 1966.jpg
EC-ATV, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in 1966
Accident
Date7 January 1972
Summary Controlled flight into terrain
SiteSierra de Atalayasa, Spain
38°54′13″N1°15′04″E / 38.90361°N 1.25111°E / 38.90361; 1.25111
Aircraft
Aircraft type Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle
Aircraft nameMaestro Victoria
Operator Iberia
Registration EC-ATV
Flight origin Valencia Airport
Destination Ibiza Airport
Occupants104
Passengers98
Crew6
Fatalities104
Survivors0

Iberia Flight 602 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight operated by a Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle that took off from Valencia, Spain, bound for the Balearic island of Ibiza, which flew into the side of a mountain near Ibiza Airport. All 98 passengers and 6 crew died in the crash.

Contents

Aircraft and crew

The aircraft was a Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle that first flew on 25 June 1963 and was powered by two Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.533R 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]

The crash

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 pm, 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]

Cause

It was ruled that the pilot had failed to maintain the minimum flight altitude for a visual approach to Runway 07. [7]

References

  1. ↑ "Aircraft Data EC-ATV, 1963 Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VI-R C/N 163". www.airport-data.com. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Sud Aviation: Iberia EC-ATV – 07 January 1972". SudAviation.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Spanish jet crashes; 104 aboard killed". The Blade . Toledo, Ohio. Reuters. 7 January 1972. Retrieved 29 March 2012– via Google News.
  4. ↑ "Crash of a Sud-Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VI-R in Ibiza: 104 killed". www.baaa-acro.com. Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 "Pilot calls for beer, then boom". Windsor Star . Windsor, Ontario. United Press International. 8 January 1972. Retrieved 29 March 2012– via Google News.
  6. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "Aircraft accident Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VIR EC-ATV Sierra de Atalayasa". Aviation Safety Network . Flight Safety Foundation . Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  7. ↑ Gero, David (1996). Aviation Disasters Second Edition. Patrick Stephens Limited. p. 104.
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