49 Years ago today: On 3 December 1972 a Spantax Convair CV-990 crashed on take-off from Tenerife, Spain, killing all 155 occupants.
| Date: | Sunday 3 December 1972 |
| Time: | ca. 06:45 |
| Type: | Convair CV-990-30A-5 Coronado |
| Operator: | Spantax |
| Registration: | EC-BZR |
| MSN: | 30-10-25 |
| First flight: | 1962 |
| Engines: | 4 General Electric CJ805-23 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 148 / Occupants: 148 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 155 / Occupants: 155 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Tenerife-Los Rodeos International Airport (TCI) ( |
| Crash site elevation: | 632 m (2073 feet) amsl |
| Phase: | Initial climb (ICL) |
| Nature: | Int’l Non Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Tenerife-Los Rodeos International Airport (TCI/GCXO), Spain |
| Destination airport: | München-Riem Airport (MUC/EDDM), Germany |
Narrative:
The Spantax flight took off at 06:45 local time in almost zero visibility and crashed shortly after, 325 metres (1,066 ft) beyond the runway.
At an altitude of 91 m (300 ft), the pilot initiated a steep turn, lost control, and caused the aircraft to crash as a result of the unusual maneuver. The crew’s loss of situational awareness in the low-visibility conditions was also a factor.
