Madrid runway disaster
The Madrid runway disaster was the collision on 7 December 1983 of two aircraft on the ground at Madrid–Barajas Airport. A departing Iberia Boeing 727 struck an Aviaco McDonnell Douglas DC-9, causing the deaths of 93 passengers and crew.
![]() Overview of Madrid–Barajas Airport, the site of the disaster. | |
Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 7 December 1983 |
Summary | Runway incursion due to inadequate signs and markings |
Site | Madrid–Barajas Airport 40°28′11″N 3°33′46″W |
Total fatalities | 93 |
Total injuries | At least 30 (all on the Boeing 727)[1] |
Total survivors | 42 |
First aircraft | |
![]() EC-CFJ, the Boeing 727 involved in the collision, at London in 1981 | |
Type | Boeing 727-256 |
Name | Jumila |
Operator | Iberia |
Registration | EC-CFJ |
Flight origin | Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD/LEMD) |
Destination | Roma–Fiumicino Airport (FCO/LIRF) |
Occupants | 93 |
Passengers | 84 |
Crew | 9 |
Fatalities | 51 |
Injuries | At least 30 [1] |
Survivors | 42 |
Second aircraft | |
![]() EC-CGS, the DC-9 involved in the collision, at Mulhouse in 1980 | |
Type | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 |
Name | Vasco Núñez de Balboa |
Operator | Aviaco |
Registration | EC-CGS |
Flight origin | Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD/LEMD) |
Destination | Santander Airport (SDR/LEXJ) |
Occupants | 42 |
Passengers | 37 |
Crew | 5 |
Fatalities | 42 |
Survivors | 0 |
Crash
On 7 December 1983, a Boeing 727 of Iberia (Spain's state airline) registered EC-CFJ, operating Iberia Flight 350, a scheduled flight to Rome's Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, was cleared for take-off from Madrid-Barajas Airport's Runway 01 in conditions of thick fog.[2][3] At the same time, a DC-9 of Aviaco registered EC-CGS, operating Aviaco Flight 134, was taxiing to the end of the same runway for take-off bound for Santander Airport.[4] As the Boeing 727 rolled along the runway, the crew of the DC-9 accidentally made a wrong turn in the fog and taxied their aircraft onto the runway, into the path of the 727. The crew of the 727 saw the DC-9 and attempted to avoid the collision by rotating their aircraft for lift-off, however the 727 had not reached flying speed and its rear fuselage struck the DC-9.[3][4] Both aircraft caught fire and were destroyed; all 42 people on board the DC-9 were killed, while 51 (50 passengers, one crew member) of the 93 on board the Boeing 727 were killed.[2][5] Among those killed in the DC-9 were Mexican actress Fanny Cano and South African pianist Marc Raubenheimer.[6]
Investigation
Investigators found that the Boeing 727 and DC-9 had collided due to the poor visibility at the airport, as well as inadequate signs and markings, which led to the DC-9 entering the runway without clearance as the Boeing 727 was taking off.[2]
See also
- 1990 Wayne County Airport runway collision, another fatal runway incursion involving a Boeing 727 and a DC-9.
- Linate Airport disaster, a runway collision in Italy killing 118 people.
- Tenerife airport disaster, another collision of two aircraft at a Spanish airport in fog and the worst aircraft accident in history in terms of loss-of-life
References
- "Final report of the accident in English" (PDF). Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-256 EC-CFJ Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- "Madrid Cleared?", Flight International, 17 December 1983, p. 1582 (online archive version), retrieved 17 April 2012
- Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 EC-CGS Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- "Madrid airport crash death toll set at 92". news.google.com. The Calgary Herald. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- "30 años de la pérdida de José Mª Cagigal en el siniestro de Barajas y del que se libró Ballesteros" [30 years after the loss of José Mª Cagigal in the Barajas incident and from which Ballesteros was spared]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 January 2020.
Tal día como hoy de 1983, el aeropuerto de Madrid-Barajas registraba su accidente más mortal hasta el momento, con un total de 93 muertos. La desgracia quiso que entre esas vítimas se encontrase José María Cagigal y dos colaboradores. [English: On this day, as of 1983, the Madrid-Barajas airport recorded its deadliest accident so far, with a total of 93 dead. Misfortune wanted José María Cagigal and two collaborators to be among those victims.]