Iberia Airlines Flight 401

Iberia Flight 401

Accident summary
Date	May 5, 1965
Summary	Poor visual on runway
Site	Tenerife, Canary Islands
Passengers	40
Crew	9
Fatalities	30
Survivors	19
Aircraft type	Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation
Operator	Iberia Airlines
Flight origin	Madrid
Destination	Tenerife

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.

External links

• Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network