The Airport
Aviaco Caravelle (1973): Madeira's First Fatal Air Accident
Madeira's first fatal aviation accident: an empty Caravelle lost at night, its wreck still on the seabed at around 740 metres.
Last updated:
The Aviaco Caravelle accident of 5 March 1973 is recorded as Madeira’s first fatal aviation accident. A Sud Aviation Caravelle (registration EC-BID), flying an empty night positioning flight from Madrid, stalled while turning onto the approach for runway 06 and crashed into the sea. All three crew on board were killed; there were no passengers. The wreck sank to a reported depth of around 740 metres and was never recovered.
What happened to the Aviaco Caravelle in 1973?
On the night of 5 March 1973, an Aviaco Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle 10R registered EC-BID stalled while turning onto the runway 06 approach at Madeira and descended into the Atlantic, killing all three crew on board. The aircraft was operating a positioning flight from Madrid — a non-revenue repositioning leg with no passengers — which is why the death toll was limited to the flight crew.
A positioning flight ferries an empty aircraft to where it is next needed. That detail matters: had EC-BID been carrying a full passenger load, this would likely be remembered alongside the 1977 disasters rather than as a lesser-known footnote.
Why did the aircraft stall on the approach?
According to the airport’s published history, the Caravelle stalled while manoeuvring at low level onto the approach for runway 06 at night and was unable to recover before reaching the sea. A stall during a turn close to the ground is one of the most unforgiving situations in aviation: the aircraft loses lift, the turn tightens the margin further, and there is little height in which to recover.
Madeira compounds the risk. The airport demands a visual approach because high terrain blocks a straight-in instrument approach, and in 1973 the original runway was far shorter than today’s — every approach was tighter and less forgiving than the modern procedure flown to the extended runway.
How does 1973 compare with Madeira’s other accidents?
The Aviaco crash was the first of three serious accidents that defined Madeira’s reputation in the 1970s, but it was by far the least deadly because the aircraft was empty. The two 1977 disasters, both on approach, claimed far more lives.
| Accident | Date | Aircraft | On board | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aviaco (positioning flight) | 5 Mar 1973 | Caravelle 10R | 3 crew | 3 |
| TAP Flight 425 | 19 Nov 1977 | Boeing 727 | 164 | 131 |
| SATA Flight 730 | 18 Dec 1977 | Caravelle 10R | 57 | 36 |
Two of the three were Caravelles, and all three were lost on or near the approach — a pattern that underlines how unforgiving the original airport layout was, and that ultimately drove the case for extending the runway.
The wreck of EC-BID
The Aviaco Caravelle sank to a reported depth of around 740 metres off Madeira and was never recovered — the deeper of the two Caravelle wrecks linked to the airport. By contrast, the 1977 SATA Caravelle, which came down closer to shore, was rediscovered by divers at around 110 metres in 2011. EC-BID remains on the seabed, beyond the reach of recreational diving.
Why the 1973 accident still matters
The Aviaco accident is significant less for its toll than for its place in the timeline: it was the opening chapter in the safety story that reshaped Madeira. Together with the far deadlier TAP Flight 425, it built the case for the runway extensions of 1986 and the famous platform on stilts opened in 2000, which lengthened the runway to 2,781 m. Since those works and the introduction of modern procedures, there has been no fatal commercial accident at Madeira in nearly five decades — a transformation that began, in part, with an empty Caravelle lost in the dark in 1973.
Frequently asked questions
What was the Aviaco Caravelle accident of 1973?
On 5 March 1973, an Aviaco Sud Aviation Caravelle (registration EC-BID) on a night positioning flight from Madrid stalled while turning onto the approach for runway 06 at Madeira and crashed into the sea. All three crew on board were killed; there were no passengers.
How many people died in the 1973 Aviaco crash?
All three crew members on board were killed. Because it was an empty positioning flight rather than a scheduled service, there were no passengers, which kept the death toll far lower than Madeira's later 1977 disasters.
Was the 1973 Aviaco accident Madeira's first fatal air crash?
Yes. The Aviaco Caravelle accident of 5 March 1973 is recorded as the first fatal aviation accident associated with Madeira Airport, predating both the TAP Flight 425 and SATA Flight 730 disasters of 1977.
Was the wreck of the Aviaco Caravelle recovered?
No. The aircraft sank to a reported depth of around 740 metres off Madeira and was never recovered, making it the deeper and less accessible of the two Caravelle wrecks linked to the airport.
What caused the Aviaco Caravelle to crash?
According to the airport's published history, the Caravelle stalled while turning onto the approach for runway 06 at night and descended into the sea. The combination of a low-level manoeuvring turn, darkness and Madeira's demanding visual approach left no margin to recover.