Date: | Monday 18 December 1939 |
Time: | 08:15 |
Type: | Junkers Ju-52/3m |
Owner/operator: | Iberia |
Registration: | M-CABA |
MSN: | 5854 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 10 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
Category: | Accident |
Location: | 10 km S off Europa Point [Strait of Gibraltar] -
Gibraltar
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
Departure airport: | Tétouan Airport (TTU/GMTN) |
Destination airport: | Sevilla Airport (SVQ/LEZL) |
Narrative:A Junkers Ju-52/3m aircraft, named "Sanjurjo" and operated by Iberia, crashed at sea while on a flight from Tétouan, Morocco to Sevilla, Spain. The three crew and seven passengers were killed.
Along the flight route the sky was completely overcast and a storm, accompanied by thunder and lightning, stretched along the Strait of Gibraltar. The flight took off at 08:00 hours. At 08:14 hours, after passing Ceuta, the flight radioed that they would use the hanging antenna for long-distance communications. That was the last contact.
At 08:15 the aircraft was observed flying by an English patrol boat at 1500 feet in heavy downpour. The aircraft subsequently was seen to crash in flames. Only small pieces of debris and the tail wheel were found.
Rumours, initiated by the German secret service, suggested at the time that the aircraft was shot down from the Rock of Gibraltar or from an English warship. This was not deemed likely.
Sources:
History of the Air Force of Spain
The Hugo Junkers Homepage
Jet & Prop 6/08
El Litoral 18 Dec 1939 Enigma, vuelo Tetuán-Sevilla, 1939 (ABC.es, 13 Jul 2008) Location
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |