What happened
A charter flight operated by Sebelair, traveling from Brussels to Tenerife, encountered significant mechanical difficulties during its approach to Tenerife-Norte-Los Rodeos Airport. The aircraft was transporting 189 passengers and a crew of nine at the time of the incident.
During the descent, the crew notified air traffic control that they were experiencing technical issues specifically related to the inability to extend the nose landing gear. Despite this malfunction, the crew proceeded with the landing on runway 12/30. Upon touchdown, the aircraft's nose gear remained retracted, causing the plane to slide approximately 1,200 meters along the runway surface. This sequence of events led to the aircraft catching fire.
All 198 occupants were successfully evacuated from the plane before the fire consumed the vessel. While there were no fatalities, four passengers sustained minor injuries during the emergency evacuation and subsequent fire.
Findings
The primary factor in the accident was a mechanical failure preventing the deployment of the nose landing gear, which led to the aircraft sliding extensively on the runway and the eventual destruction of the aircraft by fire.