What happened
During the initial stages of a takeoff roll at Tenerife-Norte-Los Rodeos Airport, an incident occurred involving the premature retraction of the undercarriage. While the aircraft type was still on the runway and had not yet achieved liftoff, the crew mistakenly raised the landing gear. This action caused the plane to settle onto its belly, resulting in a slide across the runway surface for several yards.
Following the impact with the ground, a post-crash fire erupted. Despite the intensity of the flames, all 91 occupants were successfully evacuated from the vessel. The incident resulted in six injuries, though no fatalities were reported among those on board. The aircraft was ultimately lost to the fire.
Findings
Investigation into the accident identified that the primary factor was poor crew coordination during the takeoff sequence. The investigation concluded that the flight crew failed to adhere to established checklist procedures, which led to the accidental deployment of the landing gear before the aircraft had safely departed the ground.