SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730

1977 aviation accident

SA de Transport Aérien (SATA) Flight 730
Accident
HB-ICK, the Caravelle involved, seen in June 1974
Date	18 December 1977 (1977-12-18)
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error
Site	Funchal, Portugal
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle 10R
Operator	SA de Transport Aérien (SATA)
Registration	HB-ICK
Flight origin	Geneva Airport, Switzerland
Destination	Madeira Airport, Portugal
Occupants	57
Passengers	52
Crew	5
Fatalities	36
Survivors	21

SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730 was a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle 10R aircraft, registered as HB-ICK, 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 when they were at the ROSE reporting point at 33,000 feet (10,000 m), and were cleared to descend to 5,000 ft (1,500 m). At 19:55, the crew reported overflying Porto Santo island at 8,500 ft (2,600 m) and were instructed to continue their descent to 5000 ft and then to contact Funchal approach control.

At 19:57, Funchal cleared the crew to descend to 3,500 ft (1,100 m) and informed them that the QNH was 1014.0 hpa. After being cleared for the approach, the crew descended below the 720 ft (220 m) permitted during circling, even though they had lost sight of the runway. The aircraft had its landing gear down and the flaps were extended to 20 degrees when it crashed into the water.

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 nearby shore.

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.

32°41′52″N 16°46′28″W / 32.69778°N 16.77444°W / 32.69778; -16.77444

Wreckage discovery

In October 2011 the wreckage of the Caravelle was found by a team of Portuguese divers at a depth of 110 m (360 ft). The aircraft had reportedly broken into two sections.

References

McBeth, Colette (25 Oct 2011). "Portuguese scuba divers find Swiss plane wreck". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 12 Jul 2014.
"Mergulhadores descobriram na Madeira destroços de Avião" [Madeira divers find wreckage of aircraft]. SIC (in Portuguese). SAPO Vídeos. 23 Oct 2011. Retrieved 12 Jul 2014.

External links

Portals:

Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
Accident report - GPIAA (in Portuguese)
- Full report( Archived 2022-06-19 at the Wayback Machine)
Le site des pionniers de l'aéronautique à Genève

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in Portugal
1940s–1960s	Air France Flight 009 (October 1949) Viasa Flight 897 (May 1961)
1970s–1990s	TAP Air Portugal Flight 425 (November 1977) SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730 (December 1977) December 1980 Camarate air crash (December 1980) Independent Air Flight 1851 (February 1989) Martinair Flight 495 (December 1992) SATA Air Açores Flight 530M (December 1999)
2000s–2020s	Air Transat Flight 236 (August 2001) Air Astana Flight 1388 (November 2018)

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1977 (1977)
Jan 5 Connellan air disasterJan 13 Aeroflot Flight 3843Jan 13 Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1045Jan 15 Linjeflyg Flight 618Feb 15 Aeroflot Flight 5003Mar 17 British Airtours Boeing 707 crashMar 27 Tenerife airport disasterApr 4 Southern Airways Flight 242Apr 12 Delta Air Lines Flight 1080May 7 Tavda mid-air collisionMay 10 Israeli CH-53 crashMay 14 Dan-Air Boeing 707 crashMay 27 Aeroflot Flight 331Jul 10 Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134 hijackingJul 20 Aeroflot Flight B-2Aug 1 Encino helicopter crashSep 21 Malév Flight 203Sep 27 Japan Air Lines Flight 715Sep 27 Yokohama F-4 crashSep 28 Japan Air Lines Flight 472Oct 13 Lufthansa Flight 181Oct 20 Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crashNov 19 TAP Flight 425Nov 21 Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 9Dec 2 Libyan Arab Airlines Tu-154 crashDec 4 Malaysian Airline System Flight 653Dec 13 Air Indiana Flight 216Dec 17 United Airlines Flight 2860Dec 18 SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730Dec 19 Vieques Air Link crash
1976 ◄ ► 1978

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1977 (1977)

Jan 5 Connellan air disasterJan 13 Aeroflot Flight 3843Jan 13 Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1045Jan 15 Linjeflyg Flight 618Feb 15 Aeroflot Flight 5003Mar 17 British Airtours Boeing 707 crashMar 27 Tenerife airport disasterApr 4 Southern Airways Flight 242Apr 12 Delta Air Lines Flight 1080May 7 Tavda mid-air collisionMay 10 Israeli CH-53 crashMay 14 Dan-Air Boeing 707 crashMay 27 Aeroflot Flight 331Jul 10 Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134 hijackingJul 20 Aeroflot Flight B-2Aug 1 Encino helicopter crashSep 21 Malév Flight 203Sep 27 Japan Air Lines Flight 715Sep 27 Yokohama F-4 crashSep 28 Japan Air Lines Flight 472Oct 13 Lufthansa Flight 181Oct 20 Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crashNov 19 TAP Flight 425Nov 21 Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 9Dec 2 Libyan Arab Airlines Tu-154 crashDec 4 Malaysian Airline System Flight 653Dec 13 Air Indiana Flight 216Dec 17 United Airlines Flight 2860Dec 18 SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730Dec 19 Vieques Air Link crash

1976 ◄ ► 1978

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