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
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]
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]
^Tedeschi, Diane (June 2019). "Crash in the Canary Islands". Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
^ abc"580 killed in history's worst air disaster". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. 28 March 1977. p. 1A.
^ abc"Dutch pilot blamed for air disaster". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. 29 March 1977. p. 1A.
^Cite error: The named reference ASN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference dutch_response was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference KLM responsibility was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Baron, Robert. "The Cockpit, the Cabin, and Social Psychology". Global Operators Flight Information Resource. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
^"The Tenerife Airport Disaster – the worst in aviation history". The Tenerife Information Centre. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
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