Iberia Flight 610
Iberia Flight 610 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Madrid to Bilbao, Spain. On 19 February 1985, a Boeing 727-200 operating the flight crashed into a ravine after one of its wings sliced a television antenna on the summit of Mount Oiz in Biscay during an approach to Bilbao Airport. All 141 passengers and 7 crew on board died. The crash is the deadliest aviation disaster in both the Basque Country and Iberia history.
An Iberia Boeing 727-200 similar to the one involved | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 19 February 1985 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error |
| Site | Mount Oiz, Biscay, near Bilbao Airport, Spain 43°13′43″N 02°35′24″W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 727–256 |
| Aircraft name | Alhambra de Granada |
| Operator | Iberia |
| Registration | EC-DDU |
| Flight origin | Madrid–Barajas Airport, Spain |
| Destination | Bilbao Airport, Spain |
| Occupants | 148 |
| Passengers | 141 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 148 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Spanish officials concluded that the crash had been caused by pilot error. During the approach to Bilbao, the autopilot's altitude select system failed to engage due to undetermined reasons, enabling the aircraft to descend past its target altitude. The altitude alarm had sounded to inform the crew that they had reached the intended altitude. However, both crew members misinterpreted it and caused the aircraft to fly even lower. The left wing eventually struck a television antenna, shearing it off and causing the aircraft to crash.