Investigation Summary
The approach to Madeira's Funchal Airport in 1977 was considered one of the most challenging in the world due to its short 1,600-meter (5,250 ft) runway and the surrounding mountainous terrain that created unpredictable wind shears. On the night of the accident, severe weather including heavy rain and low clouds forced the crew to abandon two previous approaches. During the third attempt, the pilots were under significant psychological pressure to land rather than divert to Gran Canaria (Las Palmas) in the Canary Islands. The aircraft crossed the threshold at 44 feet but floated in a long flare, touching down nearly halfway down the runway. The combination of high touchdown speed (19 knots above reference speed), a wet runway surface, and late directional corrections led to a total loss of braking effectiveness. The aircraft exited the runway at 78 knots, falling 28 meters before impacting a bridge.
Final Conclusions
The investigation concluded that the primary cause was the crew's failure to stop the aircraft within the available runway length. Contributing factors included the severe weather conditions, the high approach and touchdown speeds, a long flare that wasted critical runway distance, and the presence of hydroplaning. The report also highlighted the inherent risks of the short runway at Funchal, which left almost no margin for error in adverse weather.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Systems & Failure Modes
Thrust Reversers
Used by the crew immediately after touchdown, but ineffective at preventing the overrun due to the high speed and wet surface.
Spoilers
Fully extended during the landing roll to dump lift and assist braking, but the aircraft still suffered from hydroplaning.
Braking System
The aircraft experienced very low deceleration values due to the water-covered runway surface.
Interesting Facts
- 01The runway at Funchal was only 1,600 meters long at the time of the accident.
- 02The aircraft touched down with approximately 3,000 feet of runway remaining while traveling at 148 knots.
- 03The crash remains the deadliest aviation accident in the history of TAP Air Portugal.
- 04At the time, it was the deadliest plane crash on Portuguese soil, a record later surpassed by Independent Air Flight 1851 in 1989.
- 05The aircraft involved, CS-TBR, was named 'Sacadura Cabral' after a Portuguese aviation pioneer.
- 06Only 33 people survived the impact and subsequent fire.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Runway Extension
The accident accelerated plans to extend the runway at Funchal. It was eventually extended to 1,800 meters in 1986 and later to 2,781 meters in 2000 using a massive girder bridge structure.
Operational Restrictions
TAP Air Portugal temporarily ceased flying Boeing 727-200s to Madeira, replacing them with the shorter 727-100 variant which had better short-field performance.