Tenerife – Santa Cruz de La Palma

On September 16, 1966 at 08:25 AM, Tenerife – Santa Cruz de La Palma experienced a crash involving Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3), operated by Iberia - Lineas Aéreas de Espana, with the event recorded near Tenerife-Norte-Los Rodeos Canary Islands.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was takeoff (climb) at a lake, sea, ocean, river crash site.

27 people were known to be on board, 1 fatalities were recorded, 26 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 3.7%.

Crew on board: 3, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 24, passenger fatalities: 1, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. The aircraft took off from Tenerife airport at 0821. After two minutes of flight the propeller of the left engine began overspeeding. The pilot-in-command applied the normal overspeed procedures, but obtained no response to the manoeuvre. He then actuated the feathering mechanism but this also was ineffective and as the aircraft was losing height he was obliged to ditch it approximately one mile from the coast, since the orography of the locality made a landing impossible. The ditching took place normally. The aircraft remained afloat approximately five minutes and then sank carrying with it one of the passengers who refused to abandon it and who had impeded the evacuation of the other passengers and resisted the efforts of the pilot-in-command and hostess to get him to safety.

Aircraft reference details include registration EC-ACX, MSN 19410, year of manufacture 1944.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 28.4875°, -16.3460°.