{{Short description|1992 aviation accident in Spain}} {{Infobox aircraft occurrence | image = File:McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, Aviaco JP5928998.jpg | caption = Aircraft similar to the one that was involved | date = March 30, 1992 | summary = [[Hard landing]] resulted in the fuselage separation | site = [[Federico García Lorca Granada Airport|Granada Airport]], [[Chauchina]], Spain | aircraft_type = [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32]] | aircraft_name = ''Castillo de [[Butrón]]'' | operator = [[Aviaco]] | plane1_IATA = AO231 | plane1_ICAO = AYC231 | plane1_callsign = AVIACO 231 | tail_number = EC-BYH | origin = [[Madrid–Barajas Airport]], [[Madrid]], Spain | destination = [[Federico García Lorca Granada Airport|Granada Airport]], [[Chauchina]], Spain | occupants = 99 | passengers = 94 | crew = 5 | fatalities = 0 | injuries = 26 | survivors = 99 }}
'''Aviaco Flight 231''' was a scheduled [[domestic passenger flight]] from [[Madrid–Barajas Airport|Madrid-Barajas Airport]] to [[Federico García Lorca Granada Airport|Granada Airport]]. On March 30, 1992, the aircraft slammed into the [[runway]] during the approach, breaking the [[fuselage]] into two parts. All 99 occupants survived the crash.<ref name="abc">{{Cite web |last=Periódico Abc |author-link=ABC (periódico) |date=7 September 2019 |title=La increíble historia del «avión del milagro» que recordó «El Hormiguero» |url=https://www.abc.es/viajar/noticias/abci-increible-historia-avion-milagro-recordo-hormiguero-201609071213_noticia.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref><ref name="aviationsafety">{{Cite web |author-link=Aviation Safety Network |title=Aviation Safety Network |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19920330-1&lang=es |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref><ref name="milagro"/><ref name="informe">{{Cite journal |author-link=Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes |date=1992 |title=Comisión de investigación de accidentes |url=https://www.mitma.gob.es/recursos_mfom/1992_boletin_02.pdf |journal=Dirección General de Aviación Civil (Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes) |page=página 6}}</ref><ref name="lavanguardia31">{{Cite web |last=La Vanguardia |author-link=La Vanguardia |date=31 March 1992 |title=Periódico La Vanguardia del martes, 31 marzo 1992, página 33 |url=http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com/preview/1992/03/31/pagina-33/33503984/pdf.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref>
== Accident == On that day, during the approach to runway 09 at [[Federico García Lorca Granada Airport|Granada Airport]], the aircraft encountered an 11-knot [[Headwind and tailwind|tailwind]] and [[Heavy rain (meteorology)|heavy rain]].<ref name="abc">{{Cite web |last=Periódico Abc |author-link=ABC (periódico) |date=7 September 2019 |title=La increíble historia del «avión del milagro» que recordó «El Hormiguero» |url=https://www.abc.es/viajar/noticias/abci-increible-historia-avion-milagro-recordo-hormiguero-201609071213_noticia.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref> At 20:20, in the roll-out, the aircraft's [[landing gear]] struck the runway with a vertical force of 4.49g, <ref name="aviationsafety">{{Cite web |author-link=Aviation Safety Network |title=Aviation Safety Network |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19920330-1&lang=es |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref> causing the aircraft to burst all of its main landing gear and bounce off. The plane flew for 36 meters<ref name="milagro">{{Cite web |last=Diario Sur |author-link=Sur_(periódico) |date=5 April 2015 |title=El avión del milagro |url=https://www.diariosur.es/sociedad/201504/02/avion-milagro-20150402203140.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref> before falling back onto the runway with a deceleration of 4.79g.<ref name="aviationsafety" />As a result of the impact, the fuselage broke incompletely into two parts. As the plane skidded down the runway, it veered to one side, tearing apart the fuselage completely, and came to rest in two pieces about 100 meters apart.<ref name="informe">{{Cite journal |author-link=Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes |date=1992 |title=Comisión de investigación de accidentes |url=https://www.mitma.gob.es/recursos_mfom/1992_boletin_02.pdf |journal=Dirección General de Aviación Civil (Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes) |page=página 6}}</ref><ref name="elpais">{{Cite web |last=El País |author-link=El País |date=31 March 1992 |title=26 personas heridas al partirse en dos un avión de Aviaco durante el aterrizaje en Granada |url=https://elpais.com/diario/1992/03/31/espana/701992826_850215.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref>
All 94 passengers and 5 crew on board survived the crash. There were 26 injuries, 14 of which were reported seriously injured.<ref name="informe">{{Cite journal |author-link=Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes |date=1992 |title=Comisión de investigación de accidentes |url=https://www.mitma.gob.es/recursos_mfom/1992_boletin_02.pdf |journal=Dirección General de Aviación Civil (Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes) |page=página 6}}</ref><ref name="elpais">{{Cite web |last=El País |author-link=El País |date=31 March 1992 |title=26 personas heridas al partirse en dos un avión de Aviaco durante el aterrizaje en Granada |url=https://elpais.com/diario/1992/03/31/espana/701992826_850215.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref>
== Cause == As stated in the declarations of [[Aviaco]]'s director of operations,<ref name="elpais2" /> the most probable cause of the accident was the bad weather presented during landing: [[strong winds]] with [[Wind shear|windshear]] and [[rain]].<ref name="elpais">{{Cite web |last=El País |author-link=El País |date=31 March 1992 |title=26 personas heridas al partirse en dos un avión de Aviaco durante el aterrizaje en Granada |url=https://elpais.com/diario/1992/03/31/espana/701992826_850215.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref><ref name="abc">{{Cite web |last=Periódico Abc |author-link=ABC (periódico) |date=7 September 2019 |title=La increíble historia del «avión del milagro» que recordó «El Hormiguero» |url=https://www.abc.es/viajar/noticias/abci-increible-historia-avion-milagro-recordo-hormiguero-201609071213_noticia.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref><ref name="lavanguardia1">{{Cite web |last=La Vanguardia |author-link=La Vanguardia |date=1 April 1992 |title=Periódico La Vanguardia: Edición del 01 abril 1992, página 27 |url=http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com/preview/1992/04/01/pagina-27/33504078/pdf.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref> The bad weather possibly prevented the aircraft from having a stabilized approach and hit the ground with great force, although some media also collect testimonies from passengers who claim that the maneuvers carried out by the crew during the landing were not the usual ones.<ref name="elpais2">{{Cite web |last=El País |author-link=El País |date=1 April 1992 |title=El pasaje achaca el accidente de Granada a la tripulación |url=https://elpais.com/diario/1992/04/01/espana/702079220_850215.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ideal |author-link=Ideal (periódico) |date=30 March 2017 |title=25 años del accidente de avión que conmovió a Granada |url=https://www.ideal.es/granada/201703/30/anos-accidente-avion-conmovio-20170329175425.html?ref=https:%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref>
[[Iberia (airline)|Iberia]] (the airline that owned 65% of [[Aviaco]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=El País |author-link=El País |date=15 June 1988 |title=Iberia negociará con el Instituto Nacional de Industria la compra del 65% de Aviaco |url=https://elpais.com/diario/1988/06/15/economia/582328812_850215.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref>) also opened the avenue of investigation to see if the accident had been caused by a tire blowout at the moment of contact with the runway that could have triggered the sequence of subsequent events.<ref name="lavanguardia1">{{Cite web |last=La Vanguardia |author-link=La Vanguardia |date=1 April 1992 |title=Periódico La Vanguardia: Edición del 01 abril 1992, página 27 |url=http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com/preview/1992/04/01/pagina-27/33504078/pdf.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref>
Following statements from numerous witnesses, the [[crew]] requested to undergo a voluntary [[breathalyzer test]] to demonstrate their transparency, but the request was denied.<ref name="lavanguardia1">{{Cite web |last=La Vanguardia |author-link=La Vanguardia |date=1 April 1992 |title=Periódico La Vanguardia: Edición del 01 abril 1992, página 27 |url=http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com/preview/1992/04/01/pagina-27/33504078/pdf.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref><ref name="elpais2">{{Cite web |last=El País |author-link=El País |date=1 April 1992 |title=El pasaje achaca el accidente de Granada a la tripulación |url=https://elpais.com/diario/1992/04/01/espana/702079220_850215.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref>
== Aircraft remains == The fuselage of the crashed airliner was removed from [[Federico García Lorca Granada Airport|Granada Airport]] after the accident and abandoned in a scrapyard until it was found by sculptor Eduardo Cajal.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Heraldo de Aragón |author-link=Heraldo de Aragón |date=1 December 2010 |title=De viaje cultural, sin alas y por carretera |url=https://www.heraldo.es/noticias/aragon/huesca/2010/12/02/de-viaje-cultural-sin-alas-por-carretera-115334-2261127.html?autoref=true |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref> After purchasing it, he restored it and converted it into a mobile exhibition space, which was presented at the [[Art Madrid (Spain)|Madrid International Contemporary Art Fair (ARCO)]] in 2005 under the name Proyecto Avión (Airplane Project) as a setting for a book launch.<ref name="aragon">{{Cite web |last=El Periódico de Aragón |author-link=El Periódico de Aragón |date=3 February 2005 |title=Eduardo Cajal crea un espacio cultural en un avión para Arco |url=https://www.elperiodicodearagon.com/noticias/escenarios/eduardo-cajal-crea-espacio-cultural-avion-arco_164459.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref> The fuselage has been adapted and is not complete; only a portion of the aircraft's cylinder or fuselage, approximately 24 meters long, remains. The wings have been removed.<ref name="milagro"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=El Periódico de Aragón |author-link=El Periódico de Aragón |date=3 May 2005 |title=Llega a Zaragoza el ´Avión nave cultural´ del artista Eduardo Cajal |url=https://www.elperiodicodearagon.com/noticias/escenarios/llega-zaragoza-avion-nave-cultural-artista-eduardo-cajal_180875.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref>
After its presentation at Arco, this piece of the airplane has traveled to different parts of Spain, for example, at the [[Málaga Film Festival|Malaga Film Festival]] in 2007.<ref name="malaga">{{Cite web |last=Diario Sur |author-link=Sur (periódico) |date=8 February 2007 |title=Un avión DC-9 albergará la vanguardia audiovisual en el Festival de Málaga |url=https://www.diariosur.es/20070208/malaga/avion-albergara-vanguardia-audiovisual_200702081815.html |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref> In 2012, it went abroad, being transported by road to [[Wales]] for the [[2012 Cultural Olympiad]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Diario del Alto Aragón |author-link=Diario del Alto Aragón |date=17 June 2012 |title=Cajal "pilotará" su avión cultural DC-9 hasta el Festival Londres 2012 |url=https://www.diariodelaltoaragon.es/NoticiasImprimir.aspx?Id=753111 |access-date=2021-01-20}}</ref><ref name="milagro"/>
== See also ==
* [[Martinair Flight 495]] * [[Alia Royal Jordanian Flight 600]] * [[Iberia Flight 1456]]
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.aviationcorner.net/gallery_en.asp?registration=EC-BYH Fotos del avión de Aviaco accidentado] * [https://vimeo.com/26054589 Video del avión en la feria ARCO 2005]
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1992}}{{Aviation accidents and incidents in Spain}} [[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the McDonnell Douglas DC-9]] [[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1992]] [[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Spain]] [[Category:Aviaco accidents and incidents]] [[Category:March 1992 in Spain]] [[Category:1992 disasters in Spain]] [[Category:1992 in Andalusia]] [[Category:Province of Granada]]