What happened
A domestic flight operating between Tenerife and Las Palmas departed from runway 30 at Tenerife Airport under an IFR flight plan at 18:30 hours. Shortly after departure, the aircraft disappeared from the tower controller's view while flying through low cloud cover, approximately 500 meters before the runway end. The tower controller reported that the pilot acknowledged the final instructions two minutes after takeoff but failed to re-establish communication with the tower thereafter.
Witnesses did not observe the aircraft again until moments before the impact occurred. The accident is estimated to have taken place between 18:34 and 18:40 hours. Investigations revealed that the aircraft type entered a dive before crashing a few kilometers from the airfield. The crash resulted in 32 fatalities, including many passengers traveling as tourists.
Findings
The official cause of the accident was classified as undetermined, though investigators explored several potential contributing factors. One theory suggests a failure of the vacuum system or suction pump, which would have rendered critical instruments—such as the artificial horizon, directional gyro, and turn-and-bank indicator—inoperative. Such a failure, if combined with turbulence, could have led to multiple stalls.
Another possibility considered was that the aircraft encountered extreme turbulence, leading to a loss of control and a subsequent spin. While engine failure was not deemed likely, investigators did not rule out a malfunction in one of the propellers. It was noted that the pilot likely would not have alerted the tower to an emergency if sudden instrument failure or severe weather required his immediate and undivided attention to stabilize the flight.