Avianca Flight 011

Avianca Flight 011
HK-2910X, the aircraft involved, photographed in August 1983
Accident
Date27 November 1983 (1983-11-27)
SummaryControlled flight into terrain due to pilot error, navigational error, and ATC error
SiteMejorada del Campo, near Madrid Barajas International Airport, Madrid, Spain
40°24′12″N 3°26′57″W / 40.40333°N 3.44917°W / 40.40333; -3.44917
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 747-283BM Combi
OperatorAvianca
IATA flight No.AV011
ICAO flight No.AVA011
Call signAVIANCA 011
RegistrationHK-2910X
Flight originFrankfurt Airport, West Germany[a]
1st stopoverCharles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France
2nd stopoverMadrid Barajas International Airport, Madrid, Spain
Last stopoverSimón Bolívar International Airport, Caracas, Venezuela
DestinationEl Dorado International Airport, Bogotá, Colombia
Occupants192
Passengers169
Crew23
Fatalities181
Injuries11
Survivors11

Avianca Flight 011 was a Boeing 747-200BM Combi on an international scheduled passenger flight from Frankfurt to Bogotá via Paris, Madrid, and Caracas that crashed near Madrid on 27 November 1983. It took off from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris at 22:25 on 26 November 1983 for Madrid Barajas Airport; take-off was delayed waiting for additional passengers from a Lufthansa flight due to a cancellation of the Paris-Frankfurt-Paris segment by Avianca for operational reasons.[1][2]

During the instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 33, the 747 crashed on a hill approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south east of the airport, killing 181 people, including 19 on-duty and four off-duty crew members. The 11 surviving passengers were seriously injured.[3] The cause of the accident was judged to be pilot error, the captain having incorrectly determined the position of the plane.[4] As of 2024, Avianca Flight 011 remains the second-deadliest aviation accident in Spanish territory (the deadliest being the Tenerife airport disaster), the deadliest accident in mainland Spain, and the deadliest accident in the history of Avianca.[5]


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  1. ^ "ICAO Circular (196-AN/119)" (PDF). Aircraft Accident Digest. 30. International Civil Aviation Organization: 105–141. 1983. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2015.
  2. ^ Gero, David (29 May 2009). Aviation Disasters: The World's Major Civil Airliner Crashes Since 1950. History Press. pp. 251–. ISBN 978-0-7524-9992-5.
  3. ^ "176 Are Believed Killed in Crash Of 747 Jet Near Madrid's Airport: Airliner Crashes Near Madrid". The New York Times. Vol. 133, no. 45,875. Reuters. November 27, 1983. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  4. ^ Ranter, Harro. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  5. ^ "Death Toll in the Crash of 747 Jet Near Madrid Airport Rises to 183". The New York Times. Vol. 133, no. 45,876. Associated Press. November 28, 1983. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 December 2016.