Tenerife airport disaster
1977 runway collision in Spain and deadliest accident in aviation history / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Tenerife airport disaster occurred on 27 March 1977, when two Boeing 747 passenger jets collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport[1] (now Tenerife North Airport) on the Spanish island of Tenerife.[2][3] The collision occurred when KLM Flight 4805 initiated its takeoff run during dense fog while Pan Am Flight 1736 was still on the runway. The impact and resulting fire killed all on board KLM Flight 4805 and most of the occupants of Pan Am Flight 1736, with only 61 survivors in the front section of the aircraft. With a total of 583 fatalities, the disaster is the deadliest accident in aviation history.[2][3]
Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 27 March 1977 |
Summary | Runway collision |
Site | 28°28′53.94″N 16°20′18.24″W |
Total fatalities | 583 |
Total injuries | 61 |
Total survivors | 61 |
First aircraft | |
PH-BUF, the KLM Boeing 747-206B involved in the accident | |
Type | Boeing 747-206B |
Name | Rijn ("Rhine") |
Operator | KLM Royal Dutch Airlines |
IATA flight No. | KL4805 |
ICAO flight No. | KLM4805 |
Call sign | KLM 4805 |
Registration | PH-BUF |
Flight origin | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Amsterdam, Netherlands |
Destination | Gran Canaria Airport Gran Canaria, Canary Islands |
Occupants | 248 |
Passengers | 234 |
Crew | 14 |
Fatalities | 248 |
Survivors | 0 |
Second aircraft | |
N736PA, the Pan Am Boeing 747-121 involved in the accident | |
Type | Boeing 747-121 |
Name | Clipper Victor |
Operator | Pan American World Airways |
IATA flight No. | PA1736 |
ICAO flight No. | PAA1736 |
Call sign | CLIPPER 1736 |
Registration | N736PA |
Flight origin | Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles, United States |
Stopover | John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, U.S. |
Destination | Gran Canaria Airport Gran Canaria, Canary Islands |
Occupants | 396 |
Passengers | 380 |
Crew | 16 |
Fatalities | 335 |
Injuries | 61 |
Survivors | 61 |
A bomb set off by the Canary Islands Independence Movement at Gran Canaria Airport had caused many flights to be diverted to Los Rodeos, including the two aircraft involved in the accident. The airport quickly became congested with parked airplanes blocking the only taxiway and forcing departing aircraft to taxi on the runway instead. Patches of thick fog were drifting across the airfield, so visibility was greatly reduced for pilots and the control tower.[2][3]
The subsequent investigation by Spanish authorities concluded that the primary cause of the accident was the KLM captain's decision to take off in the mistaken belief that a takeoff clearance from air traffic control (ATC) had been issued.[4] Dutch investigators placed a greater emphasis on a mutual misunderstanding in radio communications between the KLM crew and ATC,[5] but ultimately KLM admitted that their crew was responsible for the accident and the airline agreed to financially compensate the relatives of all of the victims.[6]
The disaster had a lasting influence on the industry, highlighting in particular the vital importance of using standardized phraseology in radio communications. Cockpit procedures were also reviewed, contributing to the establishment of crew resource management as a fundamental part of airline pilots' training.[7] The captain is no longer considered infallible, and combined crew input is encouraged during aircraft operations.[8]