123 dead and 39 hospitalized injured. This was the assessment made by DIÁRIO, in the edition of November 20, 1977, regarding the crash of a TAP plane on the runway at Santa Catarina Airport, as the now Madeira International Airport was called at that time.
The Boeing 727 was completely destroyed after having ‘slipped’ on the Santa Catarina runway, on a night of intense rain, which had even led to the temporary closure of the airport. The plane landed in the direction Machico – Santa Cruz, climbed the last threshold of the runway, ending up flying over the adjacent section of EN 101, crashing a few meters further on the Santa Cruz municipal road, crashing onto the pebble area.
The fatal victims would end up being taken to the Chapel of Misericórdia, in Santa Cruz. The trip connected Brussels to Madeira, with a stop in Lisbon. The aircraft actually ended up catching fire, given the brutality of the accident, but there were those who survived. The injured would be transported to the hospital in ambulances from the Santa Cruz Municipal Fire Department, but also in taxis and private cars, which arrived at the scene with the aim of helping possible victims.
On the Santa Cruz promenade, next to the airport, there is a monument in memory of these victims. Built with some debris from this accident, it is a constant reminder of what happened.
(As we all know the monument has been in a terrible state, and probably still is, unless they tidied it up after the recent work that has been completed in that area.)