Deadliest aviation disaster in Brazilian and South American history, killing 199 people after a runway overrun at São Paulo's Congonhas Airport.
Key Facts
- Date
- 17 July 2007
- Aircraft
- Airbus A320-233
- Passengers & crew killed
- 187 people
- Ground fatalities
- 12 people
- Injured on ground
- 27 people
- Total deaths
- 199 people
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Airbus A320-233 was landing on runway 35L at Congonhas Airport during moderate rain. CENIPA's final 2009 report concluded that pilot error during the landing approach was the primary cause of the accident, contributing to the aircraft's failure to decelerate adequately on the wet runway.
On the evening of 17 July 2007, TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overran runway 35L at São Paulo's Congonhas Airport, crashing into a nearby TAM Express warehouse adjacent to a gas station. The aircraft exploded on impact, killing all 187 people aboard and 12 on the ground, with 27 others injured.
The disaster, the deadliest in Brazilian and South American aviation history, prompted intense scrutiny of Congonhas Airport's safety standards and runway conditions. It held the record as the deadliest Airbus A320-series accident until the 2015 bombing of Metrojet Flight 9268, and Brazil experienced no major fatal aviation accident until Voepass Flight 2283 in 2024.