Palma plane crash drama

Civil Aviation launched an investigation yesterday morning into the crash of a cargo plane at Palma's Son San Joan airport in which two people died. Airport sources said that the accident happened at 5.10 am as the cargo plane, flight 306, operated by the company Tadair which is based in Sabadell in Catalunya, was coming into land on the south runway. The aircraft's regular route was between Palma, Barcelona, Madrid, Minorca and Ibiza and earlier yesterday morning it had taken off from Madrid bound for Majorca with an urgent shipment on board. Moments before 5.10 am, the pilot contacted Palma air traffic control and asked for final clearance to land in Palma. The plane apparently approached Palma airport correctly, but just as it was about to land, the aircraft lost control and hit the runway at great speed. On impact, the wings and fuselage were destroyed. The airport said that weather conditions were “normal” and that at the time of the crash, it was not raining. Son San Joan air traffic control alerted the emergency services immediately and the airport fire and medical services rushed to the scene. On arrival the two passengers on board, the pilot and co-pilot were dead. The runway was closed for most of the morning as the wreckage was made safe by some 30 fire fighters and then cleared from the scene with the use of a huge crane. Despite the accident and the poor weather, Palma airport operated as usual throughout the emergency operations, with flights diverted to the north runway. Over the past 12 years, nine lives have been lost in cargo plane accidents in Spain and the pilots union SEPLA yesterday called for tighter controls. SEPLA has asked the aeronautical authorities and, in particular, Civil Aviation, to tighten up controls and inspections on transport planes to make sure that all the norms and regulations are being complied with. The union demanded that the Ministry for Development and the Commission for Civil Aviation Accident Investigations, launch an “immediate” investigation in to the crash in Palma. SEPLA wants a full report into the accident as quickly as possible, adding “it is a sad state of affairs that there are still a number of accidents still awaiting investigation.” Sources for SEPLA said that the Commission has yet to publish its reports into accidents which have happened as far back as 1998. SEPLA is also increasingly concerned about the growing number of cargo accidents in Spain, pointing out that there is a growing sense of tension and anxiety amongst pilots. The two tragic deaths yesterday brought the pilot death toll in Spain to nine in the past twelve years.