Investigation Summary
Flight 730 was a non-scheduled charter flight that originated in Zurich. During its stop in Geneva, a hydraulic pump failure delayed the departure by nearly two hours. This delay was critical because the captain, who was undergoing line training for the notoriously difficult Funchal Airport, was scheduled to perform his first landing there during daylight hours. By the time the aircraft reached Madeira, it was dark. The instructor captain acted as co-pilot while the trainee captain flew the aircraft. During the visual circling approach, the crew lost sight of the runway but continued their descent. The aircraft struck the water with its landing gear down and flaps at 20 degrees, approximately 4 kilometers from the runway. The fuselage broke into two sections and sank, trapping many passengers inside.
Final Conclusions
The Portuguese authorities concluded that the accident was a Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) caused by the crew's failure to maintain the minimum descent altitude of 720 feet during a visual approach. Contributing factors included poor Cockpit Resource Management (CRM), sensory illusions experienced by the crew during a night approach over water, and the decision to continue the training landing at night despite the trainee's lack of experience at the specific airfield.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Trainee for Funchal operations; seated in left-hand seat. Survived the crash.
Captain
Acting as pilot-in-command, instructor, and co-pilot; seated in right-hand seat. Survived the crash.
Systems & Failure Modes
Hydraulic Pump
A failure of this component in Geneva delayed the flight, pushing the arrival into nighttime hours.
Landing Gear
The gear was confirmed to be down and locked at the time of water impact.
Interesting Facts
- 01The captain in command had never landed at Funchal Airport prior to the accident flight.
- 02The aircraft initially sank to a depth of approximately 600 meters shortly after the crash, but major wreckage sections were located by divers at a depth of 110 meters in 2011.
- 03This was the second major fatal crash at Funchal in less than a month, following TAP Flight 425 in November 1977.
- 04The crew descended below the mandatory 720-foot circling minimum despite losing visual contact with the runway.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Funchal Airport Training Requirements
Reinforcement of strict requirements for pilots to complete specific simulator and daylight training before being cleared for operations at Funchal.