Summary Poor visual on runway Crew 9 Survivors 19 Number of deaths 30 Operator Iberia Location Tenerife | Passengers 40 Fatalities 30 Date 5 May 1965 Destination Tenerife Survivor 19 | |
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Site Tenerife, Canary Islands Similar Iberia Airlines Flight 062, 1973 Nantes mid‑air co, Iberia Airlines Flight 602, Madrid runway disaster, Iberia Airlines Flight 610 | ||
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, and the approach controller informed the crew that visibility was below minima. The pilot made a very low run and initiated a go-around and made another approach to land. 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 (305 m). As he applied full power, the aircraft struck a scraper and a tractor about 50 meters (164 feet) from the runway centerline. The plane was damaged and could not gain altitude, causing it to crash in the Los Rodeos gorge beside the runway.
The post-accident investigation faulted the pilot for not diverting to Las Palmas.