TAP flight 425
| TAP flight 425 | |
|---|---|
 An identical Boeing 727 in the TAP livery at the time |
|
| Accident summary | |
| Accident type | Roll over on landing |
| place | Madeira |
| date | 19th November 1977 |
| Fatalities | 131 |
| Survivors | 33 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 727-282 |
| operator | Transportes Aéreos Portugueses |
| Mark | CS-TBR |
| Surname | Sacadura Cabral |
| Departure airport | Brussels-Zaventem Airport |
| Stopover | Lisbon Portela Airport |
| Destination airport | Madeira airport |
| Passengers | 156 |
| crew | 8th |
| Lists of aviation accidents | |
On November 19, 1977, a rolled over Boeing 727-200 that the TAP flight 425 carried out at the airport of Madeira the end of the runway . The plane crashed down a 40 meter high cliff and burned out completely. 131 of the 164 inmates were killed.
the accident
The Boeing 727 of Transportes Aéreos Portugueses ( TAP ) was on a scheduled flight from Brussels via Lisbon to Funchal . At the time of the accident it was dark, the cloud base was 500 meters and it was raining heavily. The visibility was around 3000 meters. The aircraft had already made two missed approaches to runway 24 at Madeira Airport . The crew, who had been on duty for over twelve hours, decided to make another attempt to land in order not to have to go to Gran Canaria Airport .
At 21:48 local time, the machine touched down well behind the runway threshold. The remaining runway length was insufficient to slow down the Boeing 727. The plane rolled over the end of the runway and fell from the adjacent cliff. It hit a stone bridge around 28 meters below and broke into three larger pieces. The tail unit, including the three engines and part of the rear cabin, came to rest on the bridge. The right wing crashed onto a slope on the land side. The main part of the fuselage including the left wing hit a rocky pebble beach 14 meters below the bridge and burned out completely. 131 occupants were killed in the accident. Two flight attendants and 31 passengers, most of whom were sitting in the broken-off rear part of the aircraft, survived the accident with some serious injuries. Nine victims were not found and are believed to have been driven out to sea.
Cause of accident
Because of the risk of wind shear , the airline TAP had instructed its crews to approach Madeira airport at a slightly excessive speed. The Boeing 727 flew over the threshold of the approximately 1,600-meter-long runway 24 in the third attempt at the correct height. The excessive approach speed, leeward updrafts and the slightly sloping slope of the runway meant that the aircraft hovered over the runway for a very long time. In order to force the machine to the ground, the pilots changed the position of the landing flaps from 40 degrees to 25 degrees shortly before touchdown . This reduced the lift , but at the same time also the air resistance of the aircraft and thus its decrease in speed. The Boeing 727 touched down around 628 meters or 2060 feet behind the sleeper at a speed of around 274 km / h (148 knots ). The permissible landing speed was exceeded by 35 km / h (19 knots). After touchdown, the engine swerved to the right, but the crew was able to keep it on the path using the rudder .
From the touchdown point, only 912 meters of runway remained to bring the aircraft to a standstill. Although the pilots activated the spoilers and thrust reverser immediately after landing , the machine hardly lost any speed. Due to the rainwater standing on the runway and the excessive landing speed, aquaplaning set in , so that the brakes of the landing gear also had no effect. Shortly before reaching the southwestern end of the runway, the speed of the aircraft was still approx. 222 km / h (120 knots). The Boeing 727 then rolled over a short green area and fell over the cliff at a speed of around 145 km / h (78.5 knots).
Consequences
Following the incident and only a month later made a crash Caravelle of SATA of since 1973 planned expansion of Madeira Airport was classified as urgent. The renovation work began in 1982, during which the runway was extended by 200 meters. Immediately after the accident, TAP issued new in-house regulations that were in effect until the extended runway opened in 1985. This included a ban on landing on runway 24 when its surface was wet. In addition, the company replaced its Boeing 727-200 on the routes to Madeira with the shorter and lighter Boeing 727-100 .
Web links
- GPIAA accident report (in Portuguese)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d GPIAA accident report
- ↑ a b c aviation catastrophes, David Gero, Stuttgart 1994
- ^ Accident report B-727-200 CS-TBR , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 16, 2020.
- ^ Flight International, October 28, 1978
- ^ Aero, issue 105, year 1985
- ↑ The Portugal News Online, Madeira Airport amongst the world's top 10 most stunning aerial approaches
Coordinates: 32 ° 41 ′ 17.5 ″ N , 16 ° 47 ′ 7.4 ″ W.