What happened
A scheduled passenger transport flight was conducting an approach to runway 23 at Madrid. The aircraft, carrying a total of 37 fatalities (comprising 32 passengers and 5 crew members), was performing a downwind maneuver to align with the assigned runway. During this phase of flight, the control tower provided a visual green light signal for landing.
As the aircraft descended at an altitude of approximately 300 meters, it performed a slight left bank to improve visibility of the light signal. Upon observing the green light at 1904 hours, the pilot attempted to correct the left bank by banking to the right. This maneuver triggered a right-hand spin that continued until the aircraft struck the ground. The impact involved the front section of the fuselage, the right engine propeller, and the right wing, which subsequently ignited a fire.
Airport emergency services arrived at the wreckage six minutes after the crash. While crews worked for over an hour to manage the blaze, the intensity of the initial impact was such that all occupants perished upon contact with the ground.
Findings
The investigation determined that the accident resulted from human error driven by several factors:
- A malfunction in the radiotelephony equipment forced the pilot to focus heavily on monitoring the visual light signals during the approach.
- This preoccupation caused a significant distraction of the pilot's attention.
- Due to this lack of focus, the aircraft was operated near its maximum speed limit during the maneuver.