Aviaco Heron Crash Off Castelldefels (EC-ANJ)

Incident Overview and Timeline An Aviaco flight departed Zaragoza at 1919 local time, bound for Barcelona. At 2006 local time, the aircraft reported being on a wide base leg and requested visibility information. At that moment, another aircraft, registered EC-AEJ, was prepared for departure from Barcelona, although takeoff clearance had previously been denied. ## Loss of Control and Impact When the Aviaco Heron reported being five minutes from the airport, EC-AEJ was cleared for takeoff. Shortly afterward, both aircraft were flying at an altitude of 150 meters on intersecting tracks. The Heron was forced to execute a sudden avoidance maneuver, during which it lost control. The aircraft crashed into the sea off Castelldefels and was lost. All 16 occupants were killed. ## Official Findings The official investigation identified the probable cause as the clearance of EC-AEJ for takeoff without the exact position of EC-ANJ being known. During the avoidance action taken by EC-ANJ, loss of control occurred, resulting in the aircraft falling into the sea.