SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730
Encyclopedia
SA de Transport Aérien
Flight 730, tail number HB-ICK, was a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle 10R
aircraft that crashed on approach to Funchal Airport, Madeira
on December 18, 1977.
The flight crew consisted of two captains. The pilot in command had never previously landed at Funchal and was being trained to operate from the notoriously difficult airport by the other, more experienced captain, who was acting as co-pilot. The training was intended to take place during daytime, but due to a delay the aircraft reached its destination after dark.
The non-scheduled flight departed from Zurich, making its first stop at Geneva Cointrin International Airport at 14:30 UTC. While at Geneva, the aircraft's departure to Funchal was delayed due to a hydraulic pump
failure, and it finally took off at 16:26.
At 19:38, the crew contacted Madeira control tower, reporting Rose Point at 33,000 ft, and were cleared to descend to 5,000 ft. At 19:55, the crew reported overflying Porto Santo island at 8,500 ft and were instructed to continue their descent to 5,000 ft and then to contact Funchal approach control.
At 19:57, Funchal cleared the crew to descend to 3,500 ft and informed them that the QNH
was 1014.0 mb. Apparently, during the landing checklist, the crew forgot to set the altimeter to that value, and proceeded to the final 180° turn to the downwind leg well below the correct altitude, losing sight of the runway lights. Relying only on instruments, the pilot descended below the 720 ft required during circling and reached the base leg below 200 ft, impacting the sea soon after that. At the time of impact, the altimeter was reading 500 ft. The aircraft had its landing gear down and the flaps were extended at 20 degrees.
Thirty-five passengers and one hostess lost their lives, many becoming trapped inside the sinking fuselage. The remaining passengers and crew, including both pilots, were rescued by local fisherman and rescue teams, or swam to the shore nearby.
The cause of the accident was attributed to pilot error, due to lack of coordination between the pilots, and to sensorial illusion. It was the second fatal air crash in a month at Funchal. On November 19, TAP Portugal Flight 425
had crashed at the airport, killing 131 people.
SA de Transport Aérien
SA de Transport Aérien or SA de Transport Aerien Genève, was a Swiss airline founded in 1966 with its base in Geneva. It finished its activities in 1978...
Flight 730, tail number HB-ICK, was a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle 10R
Sud Aviation Caravelle
The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle was the first short/medium-range jet airliner produced by the French Sud Aviation firm starting in 1955 . The Caravelle was one of the more successful European first generation jetliners, selling throughout Europe and even penetrating the United States market, with...
aircraft that crashed on approach to Funchal Airport, Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
on December 18, 1977.
The flight crew consisted of two captains. The pilot in command had never previously landed at Funchal and was being trained to operate from the notoriously difficult airport by the other, more experienced captain, who was acting as co-pilot. The training was intended to take place during daytime, but due to a delay the aircraft reached its destination after dark.
The non-scheduled flight departed from Zurich, making its first stop at Geneva Cointrin International Airport at 14:30 UTC. While at Geneva, the aircraft's departure to Funchal was delayed due to a hydraulic pump
Hydraulic pump
Hydraulic pumps are used in hydraulic drive systems and can be hydrostatic or hydrodynamic.Hydrostatic pumps are positive displacement pumps while hydrodynamic pumps can be fixed displacement pumps, in which the displacement cannot be adjusted, or variable displacement pumps, which have a more...
failure, and it finally took off at 16:26.
At 19:38, the crew contacted Madeira control tower, reporting Rose Point at 33,000 ft, and were cleared to descend to 5,000 ft. At 19:55, the crew reported overflying Porto Santo island at 8,500 ft and were instructed to continue their descent to 5,000 ft and then to contact Funchal approach control.
At 19:57, Funchal cleared the crew to descend to 3,500 ft and informed them that the QNH
QNH
QNH is one of the many Q codes. It is defined as, "barometric pressure adjusted to sea level." It is a pressure setting used by pilots, air traffic control , and low frequency weather beacons to refer to the barometric setting which, when set on an aircraft's altimeter, will cause the altimeter to...
was 1014.0 mb. Apparently, during the landing checklist, the crew forgot to set the altimeter to that value, and proceeded to the final 180° turn to the downwind leg well below the correct altitude, losing sight of the runway lights. Relying only on instruments, the pilot descended below the 720 ft required during circling and reached the base leg below 200 ft, impacting the sea soon after that. At the time of impact, the altimeter was reading 500 ft. The aircraft had its landing gear down and the flaps were extended at 20 degrees.
Thirty-five passengers and one hostess lost their lives, many becoming trapped inside the sinking fuselage. The remaining passengers and crew, including both pilots, were rescued by local fisherman and rescue teams, or swam to the shore nearby.
The cause of the accident was attributed to pilot error, due to lack of coordination between the pilots, and to sensorial illusion. It was the second fatal air crash in a month at Funchal. On November 19, TAP Portugal Flight 425
TAP Portugal Flight 425
TAP Air Portugal Flight 425, tail number CS-TBR, was a Boeing 727 aircraft named Sacadura Cabral en route from Brussels, Belgium, to Madeira airport , Portugal, with an intermediate scheduled stop in Lisbon, Portugal, on November 19, 1977.Shortly before 9:48pm on that Saturday evening, after 13...
had crashed at the airport, killing 131 people.