No fatalities

1972-12-28: Fokker F28 Fellowship (EC-BVC) — Iberia - Lineas Aéreas de Espana — Bilbao-Sondica, Spain

Bilbao-Sondica, SpainLanding (descent or approach)

On December 28, 1972, a Fokker F28 Fellowship (registration EC-BVC) operated by Iberia - Lineas Aéreas de Espana was involved in an aviation accident near Bilbao-Sondica, Spain during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Wrong approach configuration. The crew decided to land in a flapless configuration with a tailwind component at a too high speed, causing the aircraft to land too far down the runway. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 1781233204Data APIEditorial standards

During a local training flight, a flaps asymmetry warning led the crew to continue and perform a flapless landing. In heavy rain and tailwind, the aircraft landed long on a wet runway, overran, and broke apart. All four crew members escaped uninjured.

Incident Summary

A training flight operated by an unidentified aircraft type concluded with a runway overrun at Bilbao-Sondica Airport. The aircraft, carrying a crew of four, was completing local training maneuvers involving multiple touch-and-go landings. During a subsequent approach, the crew encountered a flaps asymmetry warning, prompting the captain to decide to continue and conduct a flapless landing.

Sequence of Events

The approach was conducted under heavy rain and with a tailwind component. The aircraft touched down further along the runway than intended, on a wet surface. After touchdown, the airplane was unable to decelerate sufficiently to stop within the remaining runway distance and overran the end. Upon leaving the paved surface and contacting soft ground, the nose landing gear and right main landing gear collapsed. The aircraft then came to rest after breaking into three sections. The crew of four evacuated without injury. The aircraft itself was destroyed.

Probable Cause

The official investigation attributed the accident to a wrong approach configuration. Specifically, the crew decided to land in a flapless configuration with a tailwind component at an excessive speed, causing the aircraft to land too far down the runway. Under those conditions, the airplane could not stop within the remaining distance.