What happened
A charter flight departed from Barcelona Airport at 10:18 local time, bound for Oran, Algeria. The aircraft, a twin engine airplane, was transporting two pilots and eight passengers. During the flight along the Spanish coastline, the crew encountered severe weather characterized by thunderstorms. To avoid the weather, the flight crew received clearance to adjust their course further east from the original flight plan.
While navigating through this area, the aircraft encountered intense turbulence. During this period, the plane was believed to have been hit by lightning, which resulted in a total failure of the electrical systems. Following this event, the aircraft began an uncontrolled descent. The plane eventually impacted the Mediterranean Sea, approximately 18 km northwest of the Columbretes Islands. Search efforts recovered very little debris from the surface of the water. There were 10 fatalities resulting from the crash.
Findings
- The aircraft encountered heavy turbulence and thunderstorm activity.
- A lightning strike is believed to have caused the failure of the aircraft's electrical systems, leading to the loss of control.