Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, traveling to Barcelona. On April 26, 1978, a United States Navy P-3 Orion ditched into the Atlantic Ocean while on approach approximately 20 miles away, after completing a training mission. Few debris were found floating on water and all seven crew members were killed. The crash happened under unknown circumstances. On February 4, 1998, an Antonov 12BP operated by Air Luxor crashed on takeoff when the number three engine shut down and feathered. The plane then veered right, stalled and crashed into a hill killing all 7 on board. On 24 August 2001, Air Transat Flight 236, en route to Lisbon from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, made an emergency landing at Lajes with no loss of life (the Airbus A330 had 293 passengers and 13 crew members on board), after running out of fuel over the Atlantic and gliding about . On 6 August 2014, Thomson Airways Flight 157 was forced to make an emergency landing while on its way from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic to Manchester, United Kingdom. Thomson Airways spokeswomen said the plane encountered "technical difficulties". The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was carrying 288 passengers and 8 crew. On 26 April 2017, British Airways Flight 2263, on the way from London-Gatwick to Kingston, Jamaica, made an unscheduled landing due to an argument between two passengers and cabin crew. The passengers had demanded to be moved from economy to first class. The flight continued after the passengers were made to disembark and were questioned by Portuguese police. On March 20, 2020, Aeromexico Flight 37, on its way from Mexico City, Mexico to Barcelona, Spain made an unscheduled emergency landing in Lajes. The pilot of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner declared an emergency due to a cracked windscreen in the cockpit. On September 27, 2022, Avianca Flight 120, on its way from Bogota, Colombia to London, England made an unscheduled emergency landing at Lajes Field due to technical problems. The pilot of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner declared an emergency via squawk 7700. See also Aviation in the Azores North Atlantic air ferry route in World War II Portugal during World War I Portugal during World War II Satellite map images with missing or unclear data References Notes Sources Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984 External links Lajes Field Force Support Flight (US Air Force) Fields