What happened
During a night-time positioning flight traveling from Madrid-Barajas to Funchal, an aircraft entered a fatal stall while maneuvering for landing. As the pilot-in-command attempted to execute a turn to align with the approach path for runway 06, the plane lost lift and impacted the ocean several kilometers from the coastline.
The impact occurred at a distance from the shore that prevented any successful recovery of the airframe. The wreckage subsequently settled on the seabed at a depth of 740 meters and remains unrecovered. There were three fatalities among the crew members on board.
Findings
Official investigations were unable to establish a definitive cause for the accident due to a lack of available evidence from the crash site. However, investigators noted that the low airspeed during the final turn is the most likely factor that led to the aerodynamic stall and subsequent impact with the water.