What happened
A scheduled domestic service traveling from Madrid, Spain, to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, was conducting an approach to runway 30 at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife/Los Rodeos Airport. At approximately 20:53 hours, air traffic control notified the crew that weather conditions had fallen below established meteorological minima. The reported conditions included visibility between 100 and 500 meters, with zero visibility over the runway due to stratus clouds, alongside intermittent fog banks.
The pilot observed the start of the runway but could not see the full length of the strip. Following a low-altitude pass, the crew initiated a go-around at 21:06 hours. After circling the airport, the aircraft reported being on final approach at 21:15 hours. At 21:17 hours, the pilot communicated that the aircraft was pulling up to attempt another go-around; this served as the final transmission from the flight.
During the execution of the missed approach, the aircraft type struck a tractor and scraper positioned roughly 50 meters from the runway edge. The impact involved the lower rear fuselage and one landing gear leg, resulting in debris being scattered across the area. The aircraft subsequently crashed at the western edge of the Rodeo gorge diversion canal, slid approximately 100 meters across private property, and caught fire. There were zero survivors in this accident.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the pilot-in-command failed to abort the approach despite the hazardous weather conditions identified during the initial fly-past. It is believed that seeing only a portion of the runway and the glow of airport lights led the crew to attempt a second landing, which ultimately resulted in the collision.