Iberia Flight 401
Encyclopedia
Iberia Airlines Flight 401 was a routine flight from Madrid International Airport in Spain to Los Rodeos Airport
in Tenerife
. There was heavy fog at around 21:17 (9:17 p.m.) local time. As the plane came in on final approach, fog started to settle in and blocked view of the runway. He got a view of the beginning of the runway, but not the rest of the runway
and decided to go around at about 1,000 ft. As he applied full power, the aircraft struck a tractor about 50 meters from the runway
centerline. The plane was damaged and could not gain altitude, the plane crashed in the Los Rodeos gorge beside the runway. Not diverting to Las Palmas is to blame.
Los Rodeos Airport
-Statistics:-Accidents and incidents:Tenerife North Airport was the scene of the Tenerife airport disaster, to date the worst accident in aviation history. The accident took place on 27 March 1977, when, during take-off, the Boeing 747 of KLM Flight 4805 crashed into the Boeing 747 of Pan Am Flight...
in Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
. There was heavy fog at around 21:17 (9:17 p.m.) local time. As the plane came in on final approach, fog started to settle in and blocked view of the runway. He got a view of the beginning of the runway, but not the rest of the runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
and decided to go around at about 1,000 ft. As he applied full power, the aircraft struck a tractor about 50 meters from the runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
centerline. The plane was damaged and could not gain altitude, the plane crashed in the Los Rodeos gorge beside the runway. Not diverting to Las Palmas is to blame.