Spantax Flight 995
EC-DEG, the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 13 September 1982 |
| Summary | Aborted take-off resulting runway overrun |
| Site | |
| Total fatalities | 50 |
| Total injuries | 111 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30CF |
| Operator | Spantax |
| IATA flight No. | BX995 |
| ICAO flight No. | BXS995 |
| Call sign | SPANTAX 995 |
| Registration | EC-DEG |
| Flight origin | Madrid–Barajas Airport, Madrid, Spain |
| Stopover | Málaga Airport, Málaga, Spain |
| Destination | John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, New York, United States |
| Occupants | 394 |
| Passengers | 381 |
| Crew | 13 |
| Fatalities | 50 |
| Injuries | 110 |
| Survivors | 344 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground injuries | 1 |
Spantax Flight 995 was an international charter flight from Madrid–Barajas Airport to New York via Málaga Airport. On 13 September 1982, when the DC-10 aircraft was rolling for take-off from Malaga, the pilot felt a strong and worsening vibration and aborted the take-off. The aircraft was unable to stop in the runway available and overran the runway, hitting numerous structures, crossing the nearby highway, collided with several vehicles before bursting into flames. A total of 50 people were killed in the accident.
Spanish investigators concluded that the crash was mainly caused by a faulty tire. A failure on one of the tires' treads created worsening vibration on the aircraft during the take-off roll. The crew decided to abort the take-off but due to the aircraft's speed at the time and the lack of remaining runway length, the aircraft eventually overran the runway and crashed. The decision to abort the take-off, however, was deemed as reasonable.