What happened
Shortly after departing from Tenerife airport at 08:21, the aircraft encountered a mechanical failure involving the left engine's propeller, which began overspeeding. The pilot-in-command attempted to follow standard operating procedures to manage the overspeed, but these actions failed to stabilize the engine. Subsequent attempts to engage the feathering mechanism were also unsuccessful.
As the aircraft lost altitude, the crew determined that a landing on land was not possible due to the local terrain and topography. Consequently, the pilot performed an emergency ditching approximately one mile from the coast. While the ditching itself was executed without incident, the aircraft remained buoyant for roughly five minutes before sinking.
During the evacuation process, a single fatality occurred. One passenger refused to leave the vessel and actively obstructed the efforts of the pilot and flight attendant to facilitate the escape of others. This individual remained on board as the plane went down.
Findings
Investigations into the incident were limited because the wreckage was not recovered from the sea. The primary contributing factor was a propeller overspeed on the left engine, though the specific mechanical origin of the failure remains undetermined.