1983 Madrid Airport runway collision
Iberia Boeing 727-256 and Aviaco McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 · Runway incursion due to inadequate signs and markings
Event
- Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
- Accident
- Event fatalities
- 93 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- Occupants
- 135
- Survivors
- 42
- InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
- 30
- OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
- Airline
Aircraft 1 · Boeing 727-256
- Flight
- IB350
- Aircraft type
- Boeing 727
- Category
- Airplane · from aircraft type
- RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
- EC-CFJ
- Operator
- Iberia
- Onboard fatalities
- 51
- Occupants
- 93
- Survivors
- 42
- InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
- 30
- Route
- From Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD)To Rome–Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO)
Aircraft 2 · McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32
- Flight
- AO134
- Aircraft type
- McDonnell Douglas DC-9
- Category
- Airplane · from aircraft type
- RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
- EC-CGS
- Operator
- Aviaco
- Onboard fatalities
- 42
- Occupants
- 42
- Survivors
- 0
- InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
- None · no survivors
- Route
- From Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD)To Santander Airport, Santander, Spain
Cause areas
- Environmental issues › Operating environment
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena
- Personnel issues › Psychological
From the investigation findings the Wikipedia article reports, sorted into the NTSB's cause areas with AI assistance.
Approximate · Coordinates from the Wikipedia article; not checked against an investigation report.
From the Wikipedia article
The 1983 Madrid Airport runway collision occurred on 7 December 1983 when a departing Iberia Boeing 727 struck an Aviaco McDonnell Douglas DC-9 at Madrid-Barajas Airport, causing the deaths of 93 passengers and crew. The cause of the collision was blamed on inadequate signage and taxi markings. Among the victims were Mexican actress Fanny Cano, Spanish philosopher José María Cagigal (both aboard the Iberia 727), and South African pianist Marc Raubenheimer (aboard the Aviaco DC-9).
Accident
On 7 December 1983, a Boeing 727 of Iberia (Spain's state airline) registered EC-CFJ, operating Iberia Flight 350, a scheduled flight to Rome's Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, was cleared for take-off from Madrid-Barajas Airport's Runway 01 in conditions of thick fog. At the same time, a DC-9 of Aviaco registered EC-CGS, operating Aviaco Flight 134, was taxiing to the end of the same runway for take-off bound for Santander Airport. As the Boeing 727 rolled along the runway, the crew of the DC-9 accidentally made a wrong turn in the fog and taxied their aircraft onto the runway, into the path of the 727. The crew of the 727 saw the DC-9 and attempted to avoid the collision by rotating their aircraft for lift-off; however, the 727 had not reached flying speed and its rear fuselage struck the DC-9.
Investigation and cause
Investigation
After the accident, an investigation was immediately started, which lasted more than a year. Investigators found that the DC-9 had inadvertently taxied onto the active runway due to poor visibility at the airport, as well as inadequate signs and markings, which led to the DC-9 entering the runway without clearance, unknowingly, while the Boeing 727 was attempting to take off.
Text from the Wikipedia article “1983 Madrid Airport runway collision” (revision 1369092281, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article
Sources
Wikipedia article: 1983 Madrid Airport runway collision
- Revision
- 1369092281 · 2026-08-12 · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Wikidata
- Q6728635
- Licence
- Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
- Record
- Wikipedia article "1983 Madrid Airport runway collision" (page 28018150, revision 1369092281)
- Date
- Wikipedia infobox: date
- Place and country
- Wikipedia infobox: site
- Map position
- Wikipedia article coordinates
- Aircraft, operator and route
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
- Operation
- airline flight number in the infobox
- Fatalities
- Wikipedia infobox: total_fatalities
- Ground fatalities
- not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
- Summary
- Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
- Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.