Spain

  • | | | | | |

    Robinson, Cessna, Spitfire, Airbus, Piper and Homebuilt Crashes

    On March 17, 2013:

    • The aircraft and pilot were hijacked at gun point. The Quebec Helicoptor’s Robinson R44 made an illegal flight and crashed in Quebec Canada while en route from Mot-Tremblant to Saint Jerome. Hijacker took the chopper to St. Jerome, where two escapees attached to cables, and were taken to Mont-Tremblant. The pilot was wounded, two escapees were collared as well as two accomplices.
    • A privately owned Cessna 180K landed in a crosswind, crashed off the tarmac and ended with its nose in the ground Digby / Annapolis Regional Airport, Nova Scotia. The pilot was unhurt but the propeller, engine, and one wingtip sustained damage.
    • A privately owned Supermarine Spitfire replica performing in the Antique and Classic Aircraft Display crashed during an air show when the plane nosedived and struck a fence, killing pilot Roger Stokes near Parafield Airport.
    • A Novair Airbus A320-231 with two hundred aboard took off from Oslow Norway at 9:00, and a tire exploded. Pilots circled the airport for two hours and burned off fuel, making a safe landing at 11:25.
    • A Total Security Products Corp Piper crashed on approach to Stafford Regional Airport
    • The pilot of a homebuilt flight was en route from Casarrubios Airport and crashed in El Álamo, Madrid. Two fire crews arrived on the scene. The pilot built the plane that crashed and killed him.
  • | | |

    Homebuilt Crashes in Spain


    A homebuilt plane crashed near El Álamo, Madrid after departing from Casarrubios Airport. The pilot was the only one aboard and died in the crash.

    The plane caught on fire, and two fire crews from Madrid responded to teh scene.

    The cause of the crash has not been determined. An investigation is underway.

    The pilot was a sixty year old aeronautical engineer.

  • | | |

    Aerolineas Flight Issues


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Fabio Sorce

    What: Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A340-200 en route from Madrid to Buenos Aires
    Where: Madrid
    When: Nov 5th 2012
    Why: On takeoff, the flight developed problems with the flaps.

    Pilots had to dump fuel, and return to the airport where they made a safe landing an hour and a half later.

    In Ezeiza due to a trade union dispute, 38 flights were cancelled, nearly half of which were Aerolíneas flights.

  • | | | | | | | | | | |

    Ryanair under the eye of Spanish and Irish Authorities


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Joachim Eichner

    What: Ryanair Boeing 737-800 en route from Bristol to Reus
    Where: Barcelona
    When: Sept 15, 2012
    Who: 171
    Why: On Sept 15, the Bristol-Reus flight diverted to Barcelona after developing an engine problem. Passengers disembarked in Barcelona and were provided alternative transportation.

    This is one of the events that caught the eye of Spanish and Irish aviation bodies. They are initializing an investigation into Ryanair after a number of diversions occurred recently in Spanish airspace.

    The investigation was initiated after a diversion to Madrid during a Paris-tenerife flight, and three landings in Valencia on July 26.

    There are fears that Ryanair is courting disaster by flying with minimal fuel requirements.

    Read the official statement below:

  • | | |

    Medical Organ Delivery Accident, Santiago de Compostela Airport, Spain

    What: Airnor Cessna Citation 500 Porto – Asturias – Santiago de Compostela
    Where: Santiago de Compostela Airport, Spain
    When: August 2, 2012
    Who: 2 aboard, 2 fatalities
    Why: Alexander Well, 37 year-old from Barcelona and Daniel Fernandez, a 35-year-old from Bilbao were thrown from the Cessna Citation when it crashed.

    ATC lost contact with ATC on approach to Compostela Airport.

    The crew was on a medical mission carrying organs for transplant. The airplane crashed in a forest area near the airport and his crew died on the spot. No cause of the accident has been released there are reports from local sources who say that it but could be related to poor visibility conditions.

  • | | | | | | |

    Air Lingus Attempts and Attempts and Attempts to Land in Barcelona Before Running Out of Fuel


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Jens Breuer

    What: Aer Lingus Airbus A320-200 en route from Cork to Barcelona
    Where: Barcelona
    When: Mar 14th 2012
    Who: 56 passengers, 6 crew
    Why: Pilots on approach to Barcelona aborted their approach at 10,000 feet due to the poor visibility. Barcelona ATC refused the pilots requests for a Category III landing forcing pilots on a holding pattern for thirty minutes, then on flight on a wild goose chase looking for somewhere else to land, until the pilots eventually were about to run out of fuel.

    After pilots declared an emergency, Barcelona ATC cleared the landing. Spanish authorities are investigating.

    (The wild goose chase? First the denial and holding pattern, then off to Valencia, but before arriving, Barcelona said visibility had cleared, so back to Barcelona, but no, visibility hadn’t cleared. Pilots diverted to Girona, but Girona was congested, so back to Barcelona, which was finally cleared to land on declaring emergency.)

    LEBL 142030Z 00000KT 0200 R25R/0300N R25L/0300V0550D FG BKN005 12/12 Q1027 NOSIG
    LEBL 141930Z 00000KT 0200 R25R/0325N FG BKN005 12/12 Q1027 NOSIG

  • | | | | | |

    Boeing Diverts with Smoke and Technical Problems to Santiago


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Tombarelli Federico

    What: Air Europa Boeing 737-800 Tallinn to Tenerife
    Where: Santiago de Compostela
    When: Mar 15th 2012
    Why: While en route, the Boeing developed undisclosed technical problems.

    Pilots diverted to Santiago and made a safe landing.

    Whatever the problem was, it filled the back of the plane with smoke, and made a “roaring” sound as passengers disembarked in Santiago.

    A replacement jet was provided for the passengers.

  • | | | |

    SAS MD-82 Faces Problems Leaving Madrid

    <What: SAS Scandinavian Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82 en route from Madrid,SP (Spain) to Copenhagen
    Where: Madrid
    When: Mar 13th 2012
    Why: Pilots rejected takeoff when an engine overheated.
    The flight which had been deployed as a replacement jet was delayed for a day as mechanical problems were resolved.

  • | | | | |

    Germania Pilot Lands on Wrong Runway


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Kevin Gutt

    What: Germania Airbus A319-100 en route from Cochstedt to Las Palmas
    Where: Las Palmas
    When: Jan 14th 2012
    Why: After being cleared to land on runway 21R, the pilot touched down on runway 21 L. There was no other traffic on the runway at the time.

    The pilot apologized and the tower controller chided as one might expect.

    The incident is under investigation.

  • | | |

    Aer Lingus Airbus Overnight in Santiago de Compostela


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Timo Jäger

    What: Aer Lingus Airbus A320-200 en route from Dublin to Fuerteventura Spain
    Where: Santiago de Compostela
    When: Nov 15th 2011
    Who: 147 passengers
    Why: While en route the plane developed a problem, and diverted to Santiago to make a safe landing.

    Passengers stayed in hotels overnight, until the curfew lifted and they were able to take off.

  • | | | |

    MD-83 Diverts to Bilbao with Cabin Pressure problem


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Pieter-Jan Van De Vijver

    What: Spanair McDonnell Douglas MD-83 from Ovideo to Barcelona
    Where: Bilbao
    When: Oct 13th 2011
    Who: 96 passengers
    Why: While en route, the plane developed problems with cabin pressure. The pilots diverted to Bilbao, where they made a safe landing.

    Passengers were provided alternate flights.

  • | | | | |

    Spanair JK5022: Final Report

    Update
    What: Spanair Flight JK5022, a 15-year-old MD-82 jet en route to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
    Where: Madrid airport Terminal Four
    When: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008 2:45pm
    Who: Carrying 166 passengers and nine crew, at the time of this writing, the number of fatalities had mounted to 154 people.
    Why: The jet swerved off the runway and caught fire during takeoff.

    The final report of Spanair Flight JK5022 was released, it claims that the pilots failed to deploy the flaps for takeoff. The report blames the crash on “pilot error.” The automated voice warning to alert the crew did not sound.

    Already more than one hour late, the flight experienced a technical issue with the plane (a sensor reporting excessive temperature in an air intake, and the temperature sensor was de-activated on the ground) that forced the first takeoff attempt to be aborted when there were failure signals taxiing away from the terminal. The aircraft was inspected and then tried to take-off for the second time, which ended in the crash.

    The National Transportation Safety Board said that “that the probable cause of the accident was the flightcrew’s failure to use the taxi checklist to ensure the flaps and slats were extended for takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the absence of electrical power to the airplane takeoff warning system which thus did not warn the flightcrew that the airplane was not configured properly for takeoff. The reason for the absence of electrical power could not be determined.”

    A similar disaster occurred in the Northwest Flight 255 in Detroit in 1987 when 154 people also died in an MD-82 due to incorrect flap settings.

    As a consequence, Spanair and McDonnell Douglas now require a TOWS* system check prior to every flight.

    The Interim Report is available here.

    Final report (Spanish).PDF

    *The Take Off Warning System is part of CAWS. TOWS provides alert warnings on the following components involved in the configuration of the aircraft for takeoff: Flaps, Slats, Brakes, Auto brake, Auto spoilers, Spoilers and Stabilizer Trim.

  • | | | | | | |

    Bad Day for Air Europa Flaps


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Galen Burrows

    What: Air Europa Boeing 737-800 en route from Madrid,SP to Lanzarote,CI
    Where: Lanzarote
    When: Jun 16th 2011
    Why: On approach to Lanzarote, the plane developed flap problems. The crew responded by entering a holding pattern, and shortly afterward landed with flaps up. Touchdown was lower and at a higher speed but a safe landing.

    What: Air Europa Boeing 737-800 en route from Lanzarote,CI to Bilbao,SP
    Where: Bilbao
    When: Jun 16th 2011
    Why: The same plane was on approach to Bilbao and suffered a reoccurrence of the flap problem.

    The pilots diverted to Madrid. Touchdown was lower and at a higher speed but a safe landing.

    In George’s Opinion
    One can not help but wonder what was going on behind the scenes here–if they had an attempted-but-failed flap repair in maintenance, or if someone had a boneheaded thought process of flying a disabled plane.

    We do not have a record here that this was a ferry flight, so whether or not there were commercial passengers aboard, someone else will have to enlighten us.

    Hopefully the flaps problem will be repaired rather than continuing to subject the crew to a less-than-airworthy plane. Good on you to the flight crew of EC-III

    .

  • | | | | |

    Naked Flying Man Returned to Madrid


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Gerry Stegmeier

    What: Iberia Airbus A319-100 en route from Madrid Spain to Frankfurt Germany
    Where: Madrid
    When: Jun 9th 2011
    Who: 110 passengers
    Why: After takeoff, one of the passengers undressed, and attacked the flight attendant who inquired about his naked condition. The pilot returned to Madrid. The plane was met at the gate by officials in Madrid, although no charges were filed.

  • | | | |

    Managers Indicted on Spanair Flight JK5022


    update

    Three Spanair managers, the Spanair shift supervisor at Madrid airport, the maintenance manager and the quality manager, indicted for “negligent homicide” for Spanair Flight JK5022 will be appearing before a judge between June 20 and 22.

    Malware in the mainframe software may have been involved in the crash.

    Two mechanics were also indicted.

    https://airflightdisaster.com/?page_id=3438
    https://airflightdisaster.com/?p=626

  • | | | | |

    TUIfly Pilots Lightheaded on Fumes

    What: TUIFly Boeing 737-800 en route from Alicante to Nuremberg
    Where: Alicante
    When: Mar 15th 2011
    Who: 144 passengers
    Why: After takeoff, the pilots and crew of the flight felt dizzy and impaired. Passengers also reported feeling dizzy after the ground power unit started the engines. The pilot reported the emergency and returned to Alicante and made a safe landing.

    We don’t see a statement from the ministerio de fomento regarding this incident.

  • | | | |

    Ryanair Madrid-Rome; Frankfurt-Ciampino: Oil Leak and Bird Strike

    What: Ryanair Boeing 737-800 en route from Madrid to Rome
    Where: Madrid
    When: May 9 2011
    Why: The plane took off without incident, but an hour outside of Rome, the instrument panel indicated an engine leak. The pilots returned to Barajas where they made an uneventful landing with emergency services on standby.

    The flight was cancelled.

    What: Ryanair Frankfurt to Ciampino
    Where: Rome
    When: May 10, 2011
    Who: 166 passengers
    Why: On the next day, another Ryanair flight ingested two birds into an engine, overshot the runway on the emergency landing in Rome. Several injuries occurred during the emergency exit via slides.

  • | | | | |

    Madrid Crash Case Should Be Tried Here, Not Stuck in Spanish Amber

    March coverage included the news of Central District of California U.S. District Judge Gary Allen Feess dismissing the case against McDonnell Douglas (and component manufacturers) because he believed the litigation of the airline crash case should be moved to Spain. Spanair Flight JK 5022, the deadliest Spanish accident in the last 20 years, killed 154 people (18 survivors) when it crashed just after takeoff at the Barajas Airport in Madrid.

    Here is the problem:
    In Spain, Spainair filed for a delay which was granted, and now, criminal proceedings have pre-empted civil proceedings, which now makes the Madrid case stuck in Spanish suspended animation.

    Families believe that this new development should allow their case to be reconsidered in US Courts.

    Suspending civil proceedings until criminal proceedings are concluded could extend the length of time it takes the aviation case to complete. Aviation cases normally take a long time to settle anyway)

    According to forum non conveniens, the court court can dismiss a case where another court or forum is better suited to hear the case. (Plaintiffs refer to another Spanair crash case which took eleven years to settle.)

    The judge’s decision was based on his opinion that that private and public interest factors weigh in favor of shifting the litigation to Spain. But now that the case will be delayed indefinitely pending the judiciary of Spain’s criminal case, the interest of the families who were affected by the crash has in effect been swept aside.

    How is that in anyone’s best interest? Why must the victims’ justice wait on Spain looking at two maintenance personnel have been charged with negligent homicide?

    The judge cited “drawbacks associated with translating the cockpit voice recording” but, as Boeing was a technical adviser to the U.S. investigative team, and downloads, transcripts and the cockpit voice recorder are part of evidence already secured in the United States which cannot be secured in Spain.

    Plaintiffs argue that family members were injured or died because of problems with the wing slats and flaps (component failure). The facts support the case being tried in US Courts.

    Read More…

  • | | |

    Firemen Die in Helicopter Crash

    What: Aragon Fire Brigade government helicopter
    Where: Camarena, near Teruel Spain
    When: March 19 2011 13.30 am
    Who: 7 aboard, 6 killed, 1 injured
    Why: While en route to put out a fire outbreak in the area of ??Villel, 6 firemen died in a helicopter crash in Spain.

    Two helicopters assisted in the recovery of the bodies and rescue of the injured. The one survivor was taken to Hospital Obispo Polanco of Teruel where he is intubated after suffering broken ribs and head trauma. Psychologists of the 112 Emergency Center are meet relatives and colleagues of those affected.

    The President of Aragon, Marcelino Iglesias, and the Minister for the Environment, Alfredo Bone have traveled to Teruel. The initial fire which called out the fire helicopter has been controlled.

    We haven’t heard yet the make of the helicopter, or the names of those involved. The world is always worse off after we lose our heroes in tragic circumstances.

  • | | |

    Ryanair Passenger Falls

    What: Ryanair Boeing 737-800 en route from Seville to Barcelona
    Where: Seville
    When: Oct 27th 2010
    Who: 1 passenger
    Why: A boarding passenger fell and fractured his arm. The fall was allegedly caused by the force from another engine’s exhaust.

  • | | | | | |

    Leaky Hydraulics Force Vueling Airbus Landing in Barcelona


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Aldo Bidini

    What: Vueling Airbus A320-200 en route from Alguaire to Palma
    Where: El Prat Airport Barcelona
    When: Nov 12th 2010
    Who: 72 passengers
    Why: After takeoff from Alguaire, the flight developed a hydraulic leak. The pilot diverted to Barcelona where they were attended by rescue vehicles, and landed safely, although needing a tow from the runway. The plane was removed from service for routine repairs.

    Passengers were rebooked and provided dinner; some were booked on buses for part of their trip, and Air Europe, and Air Berlin.

  • | | |

    Airbus Nosegear Fractures on Landing


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer

    What: Iberia Airbus A320-200 en route from Madrid to Vigo
    Where: Vigo
    When: Oct 14 2010
    Who: 88 passengers
    Why On landing, the plane underwent extreme vibrations from the nose gear, and stopped on the runway. A broken nose gear was interfering with a nose wheel. Passengers disembarked on the runway and were transported to the gate.

    The plane was taken out of commission for repairs.

  • | | | |

    Ryanair Turbulence Sends FA to Hospital


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Alan Lebeda

    What: Ryanair Boeing 737-800 en route from Malta to Venice
    Where: Elba
    When: Sep 8 2010
    Who: 170 people aboard, five injuries
    Why: While en route, the plane encountered serious turbulence, which knocked all unbuckled individuals and a trolley into the roof of the plane; the turbulence injured two flight attendants and several passengers. The pilot diverted the flight to Bologna, where they landed safely; one flight attendant was hospitalized. The other injuries were treated at the airport.