KLM Pan Am Tenerife Accident (1977)

[@H84Gabor]

this is what documentaries tell you in 45 minutes

[@donwald3436]

Gábor Hényel Except other versions you hear ATC terrible English too lots of blame to spread around.

[@immsr.5580]

Don Wald The terrible English of the ATC did not cause this. This was KLM Captain and crew at fault. The 45 min documentary tries to spread the blame but KLM was never given take off clearance and were throttling even before the transmission they could mistake for clearance.

[@VoltFall]

Lul

[@hackerman7835]

"BUT THEN, THE ATC MAKES A SHOCKING DISCOVERY"

[@tomtimor9789]

Agree, Gabor.

[@debbiemclaughlin4945]

I actually knew someone on one of the planes. she was a lovely older Lady who had owned a little clothing store in a very small town in Nevada. she worked her whole life,sold her store,retired,and decided to travel. poor dear never lived to tell her story. how sad.

[@JRyan-lu5im]

Things like that remind me of a great quote, “We spend the best part of our lives working towards the hope that we’ll make the least guaranteed part of it the greatest.” We has a retiree die of a heart aneurysm younger than 50, within a year of leaving.

[@fishythenothosaurus5938]

Sad is when you just grow up and all your life is stopped because of corona virus and you must go into depression and even lose a motivation to work.

[@solti235]

@@fishythenothosaurus5938WTH!!! how did you even compared this kind of accident with the Corona??? Be grateful to corona at least.

[@secretdauren1184]

@@solti235 Corona is sadder. In this kind of accident died pieces of shit and their deserved much more pain. But on corona innocents die too.

[@Slothicans]

@@secretdauren1184 "In this kind of accident died pieces of shit and their deserved much more pain." Don't cut yourself on that edge, kiddo.

[@TheStapleGunKid]

The bitter irony of the accident is that the KLM pilot was one of the most senior Captains for the company. When KLM executives first heard of the accident, they tried to contact him at his house to send him to Tenerife as part of the accident investigation team. It never occurred to them he could be the one who caused it. He was one of the best pilots in civil aviation, yet he broke one of the most fundamental rules: You never takeoff without clearance from ATC.

[@erikacox9983]

But it seems the clearance wasn't clear due to static. It also looks like the ATC is to blame as well

[@luigiweegee7152]

@@erikacox9983 the captain tried to take off at first but the first officer told him that they did not get atc clearance

[@doctorbohr1585]

@@luigiweegee7152 yes! Cpt fantastic knew there was confusion on the part of his co pilot but overrode it without double checking with tower. Earlier the tower had said "we will call you". - pretty no? Yet Capt Fantastic relied for clearance on a transmission loaded with static, whose only clear word was "okay". An extraordinary sequence of events.

[@safeysmith6720]

@@erikacox9983 If it wasn’t clear from the tower, then the pilot should NOT make assumptions, and not do anything until they are crystal clear about what is going on. So this is WAY more the KLM pilot’s fault than anyone else’s!

[@qasimmir7117]

@@erikacox9983 In which you do not takeoff.

[@euroszka8048]

Who would have bet the deadliest aircraft accident to date would be... on the runway

[@BHAKTIBROPHY]

Most accidents occur during takeoff and landing. If you have access to SMITHSONIAN TV, they have a well produced show titled AIR DISASTERS. It is made with journalistic integrity and objectivity. In other words, there's no shock value utilized (other than the unfortunate title). It's a program that dissects and investigates the cause of the accidents. Some episodes highlight the masterful attempts pilots make to save their planes from crashing, or to minimise wreckage. A well made program.

[@jjjillyeo]

Me

[@garyfan2399]

hehe good point there buddy

[@kaitlyna.deguzman7856]

Euro szka and the KLM airplane sand wiat do you say wean a tarost bome explowedid in the pan am

[@jimday666]

Most accidents occur during takeoff and landing

[@whitebigboi]

god damn it killed every single person in the klm flight :/ imagine being on pan am on the right side and just seeing the other massive plane speeding at you

[@vaishnavii_53]

😱😱

[@Fraide23]

KLM had 55 tons of fuel, it was a giant fireball

[@yuniverse1]

1 klm passanger left the plane because the passangers boyfriend was there,she mustve felt lucky

[@trapproviders8705]

Its like a lamborghini (klm) crashing into a slowmo car(panam) (joke)

[@malookmalik396]

Omg

[@luisderivas6005]

If you read the CVR/ATC transcripts, you can clearly tell the KLM captain was impatient and condescending to his first officer, and far more concerned with leaving than the safety of his craft. Remaining overnight would require significant delay and cost to fly in another relief crew, affecting his standing as primo pilot in the company. He clearly 'jumped the gun'; He began to roll the aircraft forward without any clearance. When he did get clearance, it did not include *explicit* take off/hold instructions, but he began "to go" even before the first officer had properly acknowledged the clearance. He also neglected to wait for Pan Am's "all clear" as requested by the ATC, to indicate that Pan Am was off the runway. And never mind that the unnecessary loading of 50 tons of fuel, caused the 30min delay into rapidly deteriorating visibility, ensuring it would never take off on a short attempt, and ensuring it's complete destruction after impact. See the transcript with event comments below: At 17:05:28, the KLM captain stopped at the end of the runway and immediately opened up the throttles. What happened next took around a minute: • KLM First Officer: Wait a minute we don't have an ATC clearance • Captain: No, I know that, go ahead ask. Throttles closed Clearly, the captain is most eager to get off the ground. 17:05:44 KLM RT (asking for takeoff and ATC clearance at the same time) • Uh, the KLM ...four eight zerofive is now readyfor takeoff... uh and we're waiting for our ATC clearance The Pan Am arrived at Charlie 3 just as the KLM's ATC clearance was being read back. They had missed their designated taxi route in the fog and were continuing down the runway, and were still about 1500 m from the threshold, out of sight of the KLM. The KLM crew's desire to depart helped them overlook the fact that the Pan Am had not called clear of the runway, as instructed. 17:05:53 ATC RT: • KLM eight seven zero five uh you are cleared to the Papa Beacon climb to and maintain flight level nine zero right turn after take-off proceed with heading zero four zero until intercepting the three two five radial from Las Palmas VOR Before the ATC transmission is complete the KLM Captain says Yes and opens up the throttles, holding the aircraft on the brakes until the RPMs stabilise. Note that this phraseology is simply the flight clearance (pathway) for departure and approach to the beacon at their destination; it does not explicitly give take off clearance, or any hold instruction either...that would come 25 seconds later. 17:06:09 KLM RT: • Ah roger, sir, we're cleared to the Papa Beacon flight level nine zero, right turn out zero four zero until intercepting the three two five and we’re now (at take-off) As the KML Flight Officer was still reading back the clearance, the captain released the brakes and said "Lets go, check thrust." This caught the First Officer off balance and, during the last moments of his read-back, became noticeably more hurried and less clear. The rapid statement was ambiguous enough to cause concern and the controller and Pan Am FO replied at the same time: 17:06:18 ATC RT: • OK 17:06:19 PAN AM RT: • No, eh As the Pan Am called to make their position clear, the two spoke over the top of each other: 17:06:20 ATC RT: • Stand by for take-off. I will call you. 17:06:20 PAN AM RT: • And we're still taxiing down the runway, the clipper one seven three six 17:06:19 - 23 - the combined PAN AM and ATC communications caused a shrill noise in KLM cockpit; the last two messages were not heard by the KLM crew Therefore KLM did not hear the clarification to Stand by. KLM should have been holding for clarification, but it was already gaining speed.

[@littleferrhis]

Laika24102007 So I honestly really got confused by the takeoff clearance too, and I am a pilot. Like he never explicitly said cleared for takeoff, but he was giving him instructions for what they should be doing after takeoff, which generally, you only give in a takeoff clearance. For example a typical IFR takeoff clearance would be. “KLM 4805 winds 100@10 after departure, climb to the las palmas VOR(...), cleared for takeoff runway 30”. If he was wanting them to hold for the Pan Am on the runway he should have said something to the likes of “continue holding runway 30”,or “taxi to position and hold runway 30”, before giving after takeoff instructions, which should be given with takeoff clearance. Then again this was the 70s and these are today’s ATC communications. There was also a point where ATC gave the KLM instructions to taxi on C3, and hold short runway 30, which would have made more sense and prevented the accident, but amended it and said they could just back taxi to the end of runway 30, probably to get things moving quicker since there were probably more displaced aircraft holding short, and they wanted them out too. Honestly if I were suddenly stuck in the captains seat of KLM 4805 I could have easily made the same mistake, this is why close radio attention is key for good situational awareness, as hard as it is to do sometimes. ATC isn’t always 100% on point, and the get-there-itis of the Captain was definitely a major factor in the accident.

[@ppapdddar6159]

@Laika24102007 You seem hell bent to making excuses for this KLM pilot, no matter what. And all your arguments go on the line of 'non of the other involved parties acted perfectly'. And yet, even if everybody in that airport were doing nothing more than mistakes, one after another the whole day. Still, there is one and ONLY ONE person responsible for that accident. And that person is the KLM Captain. And here is why: 1- The ULTIMATE responsible for taking off the KLM plane was its Captain. 2- As the Captain of a plane, you DO NOT try to take off if you are not 100% SURE YOU CAN. (In your hands are other people's *LIVES*). 3- There was NOT 100% certainty that the KLM flight could proceed with the take off. As clearly stated by the communications, on record, of the KLM First Officer. Who was in THE SAME position like the KLM Captain, listening to the exact SAME communications. So, either the KLM Captain wasn't paying attention, or took the risk of taking off the plane without being completely sure he could. GUILTY in any case. No matter how many mistakes the people around him were making. And, I know you will be tempted to rebut me by mentioning the many mistakes the traffic controllers did: "they did not get a response", "they line up planes"; or the Pan Am crew: "they were still taxing in the runway because they missed the exit"; or whatever. But listen, I T D O E S N' T M A T T E R. If I clean up a gun, and by mistake l leave one round chambered in the gun. And afterwards, you start playing around with that gun, and to scare one of your friends. You point the gun to his face and press the trigger. Guess who is 100% responsible, and whose fault is, for blowing that person's head off?

[@ppapdddar6159]

@Laika24102007 "He was sure, that was the problem kid" I agree dad, THAT was exactly the problem. His incompetence to properly asses the situation AS HIS COMPETENT FIRST OFFICER CORRECTLY DID (on record). And come to the conclusion he could take off at that precise moment. The incompetence of the KLM Captain was the main reason this sad accident happened. Glad we cleared this one up, dad.

[@ppapdddar6159]

@Laika24102007 Come on Dad, I thought we had an agreement? Your are going back and forth with this, is it because of the Alzheimer? Let's see, the Pan Am copilot, the Pan Am pilot, Pan Am, Pan Am, Pan Am. The ATC clearance, the ATC, the regulations, ... all over again. Dad, listen, only ONE person took the decision to speed his plane down that runway when he shouldn't. As you Dad, yourself, just said before your nap: "He was sure [he could take off], that was the problem". I still agree. He was sure, and HE SHOULD HAVE NOT BEEN. His First Officer WAS NOT! and the First Officer wast getting the same clues and communications than the Captain. At some point the First Officer even communicated his doubts to the Captain. Something along the lines of (paraphrasing) "Is the Pan Am flight still on the runway?". He clearly wasn't sure. I don't take homework from strangers in Internet, you look the records up if you wish so. Dad, settle down, relax, and go to bed. Everything will become clearer tomorrow.

[@ppapdddar6159]

@Laika24102007 Dad, by any chance, aren't you related to the KLM Captain Jacob van Zanten (the guilty part here), are you? You aren't his son or something, right? just asking. Good night, dad. Remember your pills.

[@dhruvildesai6911]

This was like a Final Destination moment except in real life, so many insanely avoidable small things aligning up to a big disaster...

[@likeawhispr]

Excellent description. Thank you for being clear, concise, and not including horrible music in this video. A+

[@785728ue]

We just reviewed this video in crew resource management course. There were a lot of lessons to learn.

[@alexstar5182]

Why the last words of PAN AIR are not on the video!! here how it goes : Lets get the hell out of here! PA CAM 2 Yeh, he's anxious isn't he. PA CAM 3 Yeh, after he held us up for half an hour. Now he's in a rush. 1706:32.43 KLM CAM 3 Is he not clear then? 1706:34.1 KLM CAM 1 What do you say? 1706:34.15 KLM CAM ? Yup. 1706:34.7 KLM CAM 3 Is he not clear that Pan American? 1706:35.7 KLM-1 Oh yes. [emphatically] 1706:40 [PanAm captain sees landing lights of KLM at approximately 700 meters] PA CAM 1 There he is .. look at him! Goddamn that son-of-a-bitch is coming! Get off! Get off! Get off! 1706:44 [KLM starts rotation] 1706:47.44 KLM CAM 1 [Scream] 1706:50 [Collision]

[@sharifwood6797]

where can i hear this at

[@stevenwb]

Sharif Wood Air Crash Investigations - Crash of the Century

[@kurtiskaskowski5386]

@@stevenwb the actual CVR tape or recreation?

[@stevenwb]

Kurtis Kaskowski recreation i guess

[@GIRLonMW2]

Thanks for this!

[@captainbossman1016]

My grandparents had a neighbor who had a relative who was killed on the KLM RIP to all the people who died in the crash

[@Vortex__24]

Rip 🙏🏻

[@tracystout-powers5245]

Crazy that rescuers didn't even know about the PanAm plane right down the runway until 20 minutes after they arrived! They couldn't see it and the controllers didn't realize the magnitude of the accident.

[@Respectthewilderness]

Klm pilot has the fault for not listening to engineer and without take off confirmation.

[@Adeon55]

Oh, yes!

[@MaynardFreek]

Sad part is the KLM captain was KLM's safety instructor

[@hi-ot8kf]

And the pan am didnt clear when he was told too

[@Adeon55]

@@hi-ot8kf Because the Pan Am was told to clear off a taxiway that didn't make sense (extremely sharp angle, going back in the direction they came from)

[@hollywood5214]

@@Adeon55 So you justify that those Pan Am pilots give their own instructions? If the tower said turn left at the third, then it's the third. Not the fourth. A 747 can make a 180 degree turn on a runway so he could easily make that turn too.

[@jancovanderwesthuizen8070]

Backtracking in foggy weather at an overcrowded regional airport with huge airliners that they aren't used to. What could go wrong?

[@Shabon67]

Also an airport without ground radar.

[@Bubs1214]

Thanks again, people don't realize that its not a morbid sense of curiosity that attracts most pilots to this incident its senseless of two very experienced pilots being caught in random circumstances that caused the biggest crash to date. Its a great study tool for young pilots and I remember hearing about it long before I got my pilots license but it still fascinates me to this day.

[@rossispearsshinoda]

Look at how important communication is!

[@jogman262]

ATC was giving the KLM crew instructions on headings and climbing to such and such an altitude before they had even taken off. I think that lead to a lot of confusion.

[@StevieRay9O]

Not only did the KLM capt. decide to refill because he didn't want to refill in Las Palmas as that may have meant it would be too late for a turn-around return flight, but in doing so the KLM plane blocked other planes from accessing the runway when the fog did actually lift for a while. While he may have been very experienced, Capt Van Zanten was arrogant & stubborn, putting his self-interest ahead of safe-procedure & the safety of his passengers. This crash also destroyed KLM (reputation & financially), & when it folded, KLM was one of the few surviving early airline-operators. &B^{C>

[@cchris874]

Can you cite evidence that this crash ruined KLM's reputation and destroyed it financially? I never heard that before. Thanks

[@StevieRay9O]

Randomo Guiy KLM almost went bankrupt but was bailed out & restructured by Dutch govt.

[@StevieRay9O]

cchris874 Air-crash Investigations doco; rescued by Dutch govt.

[@cchris874]

StevieRay9O Yes, but what is your evidence that Tenerife was the decisive element in any of its financial problems?

[@canberragarbage1407]

that incident was the last fatal accident involving KLM

[@GutpileCharlie]

I was living in San Diego at the time. A man from my church, who I had sat next to in church choir practice on the preceding Wednesday was killed in that accident. San Diego suffered a number of fatalities.

[@nathanielclayton1636]

It was caused by confusion on pan-am, but mainly the KLM captain. His crew were to scared to tell him he was wrong because he gave them their licences to fly on KLM. They really needed ground radar in the tower, now every commercial airport has to have it, aviation law!

[@MrFight6666]

Confusion or not, it was still partly the American pilot's fault! I mean C3!!!! In every normal country in the world, 3= 3rd one!!!!! Wow!!! I mean yes the KLM pilot was a total jack@**, but come on! Personally I'd say it was a 60-40 blame between the Dutch and the American!

[@hornetgags]

MrFight6666 Wrong. KLM was never cleared for take off...the fundamental rule of aviation...you need ATC permission before taking off. Completely KLM's fault because the captain was more worried about their permitted flying hours. Also the captain's decision to re-fuel there cost them 35 minutes which blocked off Pan Am's route to the runway, the arrogant captain over ruled his 1st Officer and Flight engineer and disregarded take off protocol.

[@RD-dt6dm]

Not one investigative authority thinks the Pan Am contributed at all to this crash

[@mrtylmz794]

isnt " you are cleared to Papa beacon.Climb to and maintain flight level 90 right turn after take off ....." for take - off clearance ? i m confused

[@stevenwb]

Late comment but there were ATC confusion between the Pan Am and KLM

[@SMX815]

A terrible loss of life & needless to say that lessons had to be learnt as this tragedy should never been repeated again. It is sad to say but this could well have been avoided if there was better cohesion plus better weather conditions

[@fishythenothosaurus5938]

It wasnt tragedy, their actually get to canarias

[@nixypixy3474]

Wonderful narration and explanation. It was truly a disaster. 61 of 644 people survived. As with most terrible tragedies, it was an unfortunate combination of human, electronic, and environmental factors. So yeah, 10/10 on being perfect and concise. If I could offer any advice it'd be maybe talking about what happened after impact? It was a pretty wide scene stretching a runway and fog continued to hinder operations. The KLM, despite having no survivors, is where the majority of the rescue crew ended up.

[@clubhouseme]

being alive in 1977 and remembering this story brought me here

[@trunki006]

Even my parents didn‘t exist in 1977

[@gekkiedehaan2226]

Are you still alive, granny?

[@abbieamavi]

*I got chills just watching this animation, imagine what the flight crew of both jets felt when they saw the opposite jet taxing rapidly towards them on the same runway*.....

[@moonrust4939]

What makes it even more scary is that the pan am pilots were joking about the klm pilots panicking over the pan am on the runway, and guess what? It actually happened

[@ajs178]

I think the main reason for the disaster was unclear communications from ATC: they used the phrases "cleared" and "take off" in the one and same communication. This coupled with the radio interference from 2 planes and ATC all speaking at the same time.

[@start13001]

Pilot error of KLM

[@ravisasenarine8539]

jamaica

[@ridzuannurain_z3811]

Oooohh noo.. do not blame of the captian edward smith..

[@neil78b]

Pilot error? Nope, pilot assholery. He had no authorization to depart what-so-phucking ever!!!

[@henkdetenk3480]

*WE GAAN*

[@peterpv592]

not just pilot error but the whole culture of the airline business at the time almost all profit over safety pilots were under huge schedule pressure from bosses Van zanten being the chief pilot of KLM carried obvious arrogance and the need to comply to management he made a terrible decision rest is history 70s was a terrible time for air crashes

[@amehak1922]

Ironically the klm pilot was their chief safety expert and trainer. The company President said to call that guy to investigate the accident, he didn't realize that he was the pilot that caused the accident.

[@granskare]

in 1975, we flew from Amsterdam to NYC in the same KLM jet, PH-BUF named Rhine (Ryn)

[@TheStapleGunKid]

Oh understand. I'm not a pilot myself and I still find these incidents fascinating. This one in particular because it involved such a huge chain of events involving so many different people from different places, many of whom never even met or saw each other. I also feel bad for the ATC's at Tenerife. There were only two of them on duty trying to manage a whole fleet of jumbo jets at a small regional airport. Before the accident, it looked like they were going to pull off a miracle.

[@rustybyard6669]

Capt Van Zanten was arrogant & stubborn, putting his self-interest ahead of safe-procedure & the safety of his passengers.

[@TheYottaTube]

Today 38 years ago.

[@luayon]

TheYottaTube 41

[@CamiloSanchez1979]

Somehow it looks like this was destined to happen. A bombing that makes them divert, a captain who didn't give a shit, poor radio communication, fog, a bad controller...I don't know, it's like the circumstances where perfect for something bad.

[@Gethsemaneful]

The Pan Am counted 123. The tower count Pan Am's current location as 1, and said 2 3. This is why it's so important to pay attention.

[@stevegacovino6699]

This video conveys the circumstances of why each plane were where they were and the impending doom that followed.

[@larrycastro7937]

I vaguely remember this incident way back in 1977. All that I remember was that the tower said to the KLM aircraft " Please stand by for takeoff " The KLM aircraft pilot only heard the word " Takeoff " and then the KLM aircraft took off! I think now the tower uses code numbers to the airline pilots to let them know as to what to do.

[@markfernandes9715]

As in most aviation accidents, there were many contributing factors along a chain of events. The diversion to Tenerife, the lack of ground radar at a congested airport up in the clouds, poor communications, both ATC and cockpit, and the full refuelling of KLM which ultimately made it unable to completely clear the Pan Am, and led to the total fireball which killed everyone on board. A lot of the former issues were addressed after this accident.

[@huelesacacamojon7340]

Location: Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain) Date: March 27, 1977

[@fishythenothosaurus5938]

@1R4_2020 Tashin Because someone will get upset if I insult quick fried dog meat

[@fishythenothosaurus5938]

@1R4_2020 Tashin Because upset

[@PIPERCUB2006]

Probable Cause: KLM pilot taking off without takeoff clearance. Miscommunication: Between the pilot and the air traffic controller. Fact: Neither plane should have been at Los Rodeos. CVR Analysis: KLM pilot was convinced that he had been cleared for take-off. Tower was certain that KLM was stationary and awaiting takeoff clearance.

[@badmaxx]

@Hynee Yeah, Pan Am overshot it in the fog. And, you are correct, the tower was keenly aware of such. So many things that could have gone wrong, did, on that day. I'm not making excuses for the KLM, but merely trying to suss out the entire scenario. If you asked me personally who was most responsible for the disaster, I would answer, without hesitation, Capt. Van Zanten. Agree, too, clearance was certainly not given for takeoff.

[@luckyme4136]

KLM Captain's ego was the problem. Wanted to prove the flight engineer wrong about Pan Am but didn't want to admit he may have a point, his gamble didn't work out. Vanity kills.

[@Vincent_Sullivan]

I was hoping that someone would bring up the point that the ATC did not specify for Pan Am to turn off at taxiway C3 - he specified to turn off at the "third taxiway" which makes his instruction relative to the current position of the Pan Am aircraft. Given Pan Am's current position I think that meant his instruction was actually to turn off at Taxiway C4. If you look at the runway/taxiway configuration exiting at taxiway C3, while probably possible, would be a rather illogical (and difficult) thing to do as the taxiway is a "high speed turnoff" oriented in the wrong direction. Perhaps that led to "confirmation bias" on the part of the Pan Am crew as they planned to do what seemed like the most logical thing to do in the situation which was to exit at C4 which was also a high speed turnoff but oriented in the correct direction relative to Pan Am's direction of travel so only 2 mild turns would be required rather than 2 extreme turns. All that being said, It is my opinion that almost all of the responsibility for the collision rests on the shoulders of Captain Van Zanten, who failed to adhere to proper procedure (get TAKEOFF clearance before taking off) and also did not pay enough attention to his first officer and flight engineer who were (according to the CVR) clearly uncomfortable with and mildly questioning his actions. He probably also experienced confirmation bias and "heard what he wanted to hear" rather than what was actually said by ATC, his crew, and the Pan Am crew. Overall, even given the fact that he was KLM's most experienced line pilot, and a training pilot, and a check pilot, and the pilot "face" of KLM - it is hard to conclude that he was a "good" pilot. Yes, there were communication difficulties due to simultaneous transmissions from ATC and Pan AM creating a heterodyne in the receivers of the KLM cockpit. Most accounts of this tragedy say this means that KLM did not receive vital transmissions that would have prevented the collision. I do not feel that this conclusion is completely justified! Heterodynes were (and still are) a fairly common occurrence and are an indication that 2 transmitters were "on the air" simultaneously. They are very distinctive - you can't miss them or their significance. This should have led to the obvious conclusion in the KLM cockpit that 2 people said something and but that they (the KLM crew) could not understand either of the messages. The next logical action, given that they were in an extremely critical flight phase starting a takeoff roll with another aircraft nearby that could not be seen due to fog, should perhaps have been to ask for a "say again please" to get a repeat of the information they missed. A good pilot might even have decided to back off and abort his roll until he had satisfied himself that he fully understood the situation and the location of all the players. At the time of this accident I was working as a communications engineer at YYZ, (Toronto Pearson) the largest and busiest airport in Canada. I worked daily with the sort of communications equipment used by pilots and ATCs to control aircraft movements and know the communications "system" as it then existed very well. I had reason to visit the KLM ramp office a few days after the accident to repair some equipment that Transport Canada provided to KLM on a contract basis and I must say the mood in the office was very sombre. This was long before the detailed investigations had been done but the feelings seems to be along the line of "how could this possibly have happened"? One of the commenters asked why there was no ground radar deployed at Los Rodeos airport. I can't speak for the Spanish authorities, but I can say for an absolute fact that ASDE (Airport Surface Detection Equipment) was not deployed at YYZ until shortly after the Tenerife accident happened. At the time it was considered to be something very new and cutting edge technology. Remember, this was at the largest airport in a major "first world" country with a major air transportation system. Having been out on the field in a radio equipped car during pre ASDE major fog events I have nothing but the greatest of respect for ground controllers who are trying to "keep the picture" of who is where and what are they doing in their minds as many aircraft and other vehicles are all simultaneously moving around - and this was when YYZ had only one ground frequency (121.9 MHz.). Due to increased traffic they now have three ground frequencies!

[@zeal865]

"The next logical action, given that they were in an extremely critical flight phase starting a takeoff roll with another aircraft nearby that could not be seen due to fog, should perhaps have been to ask for a "say again please" to get a repeat of the information they missed. A good pilot might even have decided to back off and abort his roll until he had satisfied himself that he fully understood the situation and the location of all the players." Couldn't agree more.

[@tedblack8361]

No. The KLM should not have taken off without clearance to do so, period. The enquiry did not blame ATC.

[@TheStapleGunKid]

Your welcome. "Mayday" is a great series. They have episodes for almost all the most famous accidents in civil aviation history. And not all of them are so morbid. There are plenty stories about amazing feats of piloting where the flight crew managed to land their plane safely despite catastrophic damage. One of my favorite episodes is "Attack over Bagdad", about a 2003 incident where the crew of an Airbus cargo plane managed to land safely despite a total loss of hydraulic power.

[@ActionScripter]

Everyone's sitting here saying the KLM pilot caused the collision, but shouldn't the blame fall on the ATC? As soon as the KLM was ready, the tower mindlessly confirmed clearance and read off initial flight path instructions. The ATC must have assumed the KLM knew, as he did, that the PA had not yet cleared the runway. That assumption - not some fictional asshole pilot - seems to have been the final mistake that led to the incident.

[@luisderivas6005]

+ActionScripter9109 If you read the CVR/ATC transcripts, you can clearly tell the KLM captain was impatient and condescending to his first officer, and far more concerned with leaving than the safety of his craft. Remaining overnight would require significant delay and cost to fly in another relief crew, affecting his standing as primo pilot in the company. He clearly 'jumped the gun'; He began to roll the aircraft forward without any clearance. When he did get clearance, it did not include *explicit* take off/hold instructions, but he began "to go" even before the first officer had properly acknowledged the clearance. He also neglected to wait for Pan Am's "all clear" as requested by the ATC, to indicate that Pan Am was off the runway. And never mind that the unnecessary loading of 50 tons of fuel, caused the 30min delay into rapidly deteriorating visibility, ensuring it would never take off on a short attempt, and ensuring it's complete destruction after impact. See the transcript with event comments below: At 17:05:28, the KLM captain stopped at the end of the runway and immediately opened up the throttles. What happened next took around a minute: • KLM First Officer: Wait a minute we don't have an ATC clearance • Captain: No, I know that, go ahead ask. Throttles closed Clearly, the captain is most eager to get off the ground. 17:05:44 KLM RT (asking for takeoff and ATC clearance at the same time) • Uh, the KLM ...four eight zerofive is now readyfor takeoff... uh and we're waiting for our ATC clearance The Pan Am arrived at Charlie 3 just as the KLM's ATC clearance was being read back. They had missed their designated taxi route in the fog and were continuing down the runway, and were still about 1500 m from the threshold, out of sight of the KLM. The KLM crew's desire to depart helped them overlook the fact that the Pan Am had not called clear of the runway, as instructed. 17:05:53 ATC RT: • KLM eight seven zero five uh you are cleared to the Papa Beacon climb to and maintain flight level nine zero right turn after take-off proceed with heading zero four zero until intercepting the three two five radial from Las Palmas VOR Before the ATC transmission is complete the KLM Captain says Yes and opens up the throttles, holding the aircraft on the brakes until the RPMs stabilise. Note that this phraseology is simply the flight clearance (pathway) for departure and approach to the beacon at their destination; it does not explicitly give take off clearance, or any hold instruction either...that would come 25 seconds later. 17:06:09 KLM RT: • Ah roger, sir, we're cleared to the Papa Beacon flight level nine zero, right turn out zero four zero until intercepting the three two five and we’re now (at take-off) As the KML Flight Officer was still reading back the clearance, the captain released the brakes and said "Lets go, check thrust." This caught the First Officer off balance and, during the last moments of his read-back, became noticeably more hurried and less clear. The rapid statement was ambiguous enough to cause concern and the controller and Pan Am FO replied at the same time: 17:06:18 ATC RT: • OK 17:06:19 PAN AM RT: • No, eh As the Pan Am called to make their position clear, the two spoke over the top of each other: 17:06:20 ATC RT: • Stand by for take-off. I will call you. 17:06:20 PAN AM RT: • And we're still taxiing down the runway, the clipper one seven three six 17:06:19 - 23 - the combined PAN AM and ATC communications caused a shrill noise in KLM cockpit; the last two messages were not heard by the KLM crew Therefore KLM did not hear the clarification to Stand by. KLM should have been holding for clarification, but it was already gaining speed.

[@JustinLHopkins]

Luis de Rivas So basically the KLM pilot caused the largest aviation accident due to impatience.......

[@divineperigrinefalcon1891]

ActionScripter9109 You do not take off without permission, PERIOD! Not even a Kamikaze will do that. Banzai!

[@misterfunnybones]

Forensic analysis without the hyperbole of dramatization.

[@gop4usa12]

Has anyone ever mentioned that this collision could have been prevented with a downwind takeoff? I'm not saying a downwind takeoff is a good idea, but it sure beats the hell out of using a single runway as a two-way street.

[@rushshukla4636]

If he hadn't refueled they would have cleared the Pan American and avoided a collision. The stupid Dutch laws that were drawn up for health & safety ultimately caused the death of 600 people. The Dutch were 100% at fault here with an arrogant captain who was too impatient having delayed Pan Am from taking off earlier by refueling.

[@badmaxx]

If Capt. Van Zanten's flight engineer had been more emphatic regarding his conflicting interpretation of messages from the tower, perhaps the crash never occurs, as well. Flight engineers often have the least seniority in a cockpit, so for KLM's young engineer to assert himself over one of its most experienced pilots, would have been almost unheard of in 1977. As a result, psychological dynamics & hierarchy inside the cockpit, were examined closely, leading to changes in cockpit protocols.

[@kgjnmurthy]

Unfortunate incident. Scary to watch the animation itself, can't imagine how it could have been in real

[@simonnicolascosta.borncost3677]

flights should of been immediately delayed if unsure of anything its better to delay 28 minutes than risk anyones life

[@mikeway2223]

40 years ago today. May those passengers and crew continue to rest in piece. Such a tragedy.

[@secretdauren1184]

Rest in piece because their had a rest? No way!!!

[@secretdauren1184]

B.I.N. is better for them - burn in hell

[@TheStapleGunKid]

You should check out the "Mayday" episode about this incident. It's called "Crash of the Century" and you can find it here on youtube. It's a great explanation of the event and includes interviews with the survivors, including some of the Pan Am's flight crew. The KLM pilot, Jacob van Zanten, was one of their best, but he still screwed up. Also a problem was that he had such a great reputation and had so much seniority that the rest of his flight crew was reluctant to challenge his decisions

[@Perminator01]

I don't understand how the ATC isn't at fault. Did they not tell KLM that they are cleared for takeoff or did they tell someone else?

[@marinhoNL]

It was largely because of the sub standard facilities of the Spanish Los Rodeos Airport. How was it possible that in an area where fog and misty condition did occur frequently there was no ground radar facility? Why were the air traffic controllers poorly trained? At that time Spain was not fully developed. While the Netherlands and the U.S. had al modern facilities available. Captain Van Zanten was in a hurry but he was just one of the factors that contributed to this tradegy.

[@PIPERCUB2006]

@Tutorialreporter What do you flying? And, where do you fly out of? Are you a fellow pilot? If so, why don't you believe the PIC of KLM is to blame?

[@PIPERCUB2006]

@Tutorialreporter Just because KLM asked for clearance and they were NOT cleared! As a pilot myself, one does not assume clearance was given at a controlled tower. It makes no difference if the tower could see not see KLM due to fog. In fact, FAA have procedures for nontowered flight operations. And, if this that was the case KLM would and should have wait a few moments in case there was traffic in the area. KLM did not! The PIC was in a hurry.

[@hynee]

@badmaxx Do you mean the Pan Am shouldn't have been on the runway as it had missed C3? I'm pretty sure the tower knew it was there, and the fault lay with the KLM captain for taking off without clearance to do so. The Nat Geo doco on this accident made it pretty clear the "ATC clearance" was *not* clearance to takeoff, just permission to fly its route.

[@jomomma8754]

KLM CAPTAIN, not Co-pilot, takes full blame here. He took off without explicit runway takeoff clearance. ATC flight clearance does NOT equal takeoff clearance.

[@cchris874]

Of course, but people make mistakes all the time.

[@angelacowin-priest7782]

Sad, everything that could have gone wrong went wrong.

[@badmaxx]

The shrill sound (heterodyne) that blocked radio voice transmission was a big contributor. But, as someone below said, this piece did not cover the moods of the flight crews, particularly that of Capt. Van Zanten, after an excruciatingly long wait @ Tenerife. The fact that 3 parties involved (tower, both planes) didn't share a common native language, didn't help either. The shrill sound, poor visibility, Van Zanten's impatience, language issues, & airport inexperience with 747's, all factors.

[@PIPERCUB2006]

@ROBLOXROX007 The bomb has no bearing to this accident. KLM did not wait for clearance. It was because of the bomb that they were placed in that situation. The bomb did NOT cause the accident.

[@Zamoranonline]

Excelente explicación a un caso emblemático q cambio a la aviación y nos llevo hacia el análisis de los factores humanos y las barreras idiomáticas q se deben superar en las comunicaciones, gracias por piblicar este video

[@PIPERCUB2006]

@Tutorialreporter Type error...wow, like no one else in this world have done! Keep learning, and stay in flight school. Don't be like the pilot of KLM. Pilot Error is much too often. How many hours have you logged?

[@welcometoreality105]

Walter White took me here

[@mg726]

WelcomeToReality sameee

[@asavitsky]

Breaking Bad

[@dranze2020]

Same.. ha ha

[@sallyedmundson9002]

same, tragic

[@umitoifah1722]

WelcomeToReality :-P

[@Sellsor]

Are planes not allowed to take off when they get their ATC clearance? Do they have to have another clearance to take off? Is that why Tower control said standby for take off after they had already started to take off?

[@HerobrineDoesMinecraft123]

There never was clearance to actually go on full speed down the runway to takeoff

[@marcuspreu1411]

An ATC clearance (or IFR - instrument flight rules - clearance) is given by ATC to acknoledge and verify a planned flight plan. It is only the "way ahead" after take off... An actual Take-Off clearance was never given to that KLM... however (and I quote Wiki on that): "As a consequence of the accident, sweeping changes were made to international airline regulations and to aircraft. Aviation authorities around the world introduced requirements for standard phrases and a greater emphasis on English as a common working language. For example, ICAO calls for the phrase "line up and wait" as an instruction to an aircraft moving into position but not cleared for takeoff. Also several national air safety boards began penalizing pilots for disobeying air traffic controllers' orders. Air traffic instruction should not be acknowledged solely with a colloquial phrase such as "OK" or even "Roger" (which simply means the last transmission was received), but with a readback of the key parts of the instruction, to show mutual understanding. Additionally, the phrase "takeoff" is spoken only when the actual takeoff clearance is given or when cancelling that same clearence (ie "CLEARED FOR TAKE-OFF" or "CANCEL TAKE-OFF CLEARANCE")[ Up until that point, both aircrew and controllers should use the phrase "departure" in its place (e.g. "ready for departure"). Cockpit procedures were also changed. Hierarchical relations among crew members were played down. More emphasis was placed on team decision-making by mutual agreement, part of what has become known in the industry as Crew Resource Management."

[@edfromchowderheads1312]

Is there a transcript of what was said on both planes on the web at all?

[@MW3IsFrizky]

breaking bad taught me a lot of things for real

[@oneofthemdeals]

i remem' watching the documentary on Discovery Ch.. Combination of KLM Capt's impatience 'cause he had an impeccable record of late being late.and ATC were both at fault. very sad moment in aviation history

[@PIPERCUB2006]

@ROBLOXROX007 Because the Pilot-in-Command did NOT wait for clearance, the accident happened. It's not due to the bomb at the other airport! Or, the bad wheather.

[@MisterWensleydale]

Van Zanten correctly gets the blame for this horrific accident. But I've always wondered why the controllers allowed both 747's to be on the runway at the same time in foggy conditions. Shouldn't they have made the Pan Am wait for the KLM to take off before letting them onto the runway? Yes, it would have delayed the Pan Am for a few minutes, but seems a much safer procedure.

[@cchris874]

Yes, I agree. The final report called that decision "potentially hazardous." The fact there was a crash means to me that it was ACTUALLY hazardous. Pan Am wanted to wait, but in the chaos decided to relent.

[@WilsonDK100]

Yeah just to inform you all this is not what the official rapport said happened. A lot of details have been left out, and is at least isn't accurate enough. The KLM was actually airborne and because its captain pulled so hard to get airborne the tail end hit the ground and left a lot metal on the runway. The KLM which was now airborne hits the right wing of the Pam Am with its wheels so the KLM began descending in tilt mode towards the ground. The airport didn't have a ground radar and was relaying on communications and sight, the ATC wasn't happy about speaking English, nor was experienced in dealing with a 747 (which now contained two 747). The fire department couldn't find the fire because of density of the fog, and when it actually found the airplane they didn't know it was a collision. The fire department therefore didn't start the rescue of the passengers of the second plane before it was too late. The KLM Cpt gave his 1st officer his wings two months prior to the incident hence a student/teacher relationship which meant no one stopped the KLM CPT in taking off.. There is more details to the story left out especially about the captain, but lets' settle with a 5 min video . . . .

[@gbernardusb242]

Such high ranks should, especially in fog, double check whether they can leave, and never rush, because haste is rarely a good thing and this Dutch captain could have asked whether the road was really clear, that hardly takes time to do something. to ask. And the American captain could have indicated that he was not sure which turn to take and that he was still on the runway.

[@arashkamangir331]

Had the KLM captain survived, he should have been given a life sentence

[@gpturner0924]

The simplest way to have prevented this would have been to have KLM take C3 or C4 and have PanAm follow the exact same route. With the longer distance, it would have taken KLM longer to taxi to the start point, and so given PanAm more time to clear.

[@PIPERCUB2006]

@Tutorialreporter Yes, they are. The PIC of the KLM is to blame for the accident at Teneriffa.

[@osiris0413]

Great explanation and radio dialogue. Not surprised that it left out the famous last part of the Pan Am pilot's (Capt. Victor Grubbs) transmission before the impact: "Goddamn, that son-of-a-bitch is coming straight at us!"

[@tgarsyaddd]

Is it too late for the KLM to Chang the flap to landing, hit the brakes and yawn to the other side?

[@esra6826]

Is this a real video of the incident

[@chaswood1517]

very good simulation

[@Skull4Scavenger]

As I said, no discussion that the KLM captain has the largest portion of blame. But is it up to a captain of an aircraft to decide what is the logical exit or is it up to Traffic Control? He was told, repeatedly, third 1, 2,3, uno, dos, tres. Furthermore, the panam crew counted loud everytime they went past an exit, so they knew their locations. Exit 1 en 2 would be illogical, would lead back to the parking area. But exit 3 was logical. Difficult turning there, yes, but surely not impossible.

[@breadfan9]

Just imagine sitting in front of Pan Am while gasing up and saying "We'll see you shortly again when we slam into you on the runway" Pan Am= "That's twice we got screwed"

[@huarwe1196]

Question? How do two aircraft with over 60 tonnes of fuel in them crash and leave survivors?

[@whywelp7949]

There was no surivors in klm.

[@domwings4329]

The fact they decide to gun it instead smashing the breaks and turning into the grass is beyond me. This is a bizarre story of miscommunication

[@aidenmaccracken2345]

is this a simulator? if it is what simulator is it

[@chaswood1517]

the refueling weighed down the plane for takeoff and provided explosive material sealing everyone's fate. He could have refueled at Las Palmas.

[@daniquinta]

And this is why from then on, the word "OK" is not allowed to be used between pilots and controllers in take-off procedures.

[@tiedomi10]

Good summary.

[@Bubs1214]

When I first got into flying which if you never have been, go to your local airport and sign up for, what is called an introductary flight. I just happened to have a few friends that own small planes and from the first time I went up I was HOOKED. After that I started towards getting my license and the rest is history. When I went for my multi-engine rating license the fist thing we studied was Teneriffe, If you want to quite a classroom show them this training video, immediate silence.....

[@mastro4065]

42 years ago today.... Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat....George Santayana

[@PIPERCUB2006]

@Tutorialreporter What do you mean, one man maked KLM black?

[@PrtKillerZ]

I have a question was it possible if the pan am instead of turning and keep the position was the klm possible taking off from the runway?

[@jimijoejoe7578]

That is easily the worst attempt at a sentence I have ever seen on KZbin. Nothing makes sense

[@japotak99]

PrtKillerZ SLAYS you have a learning disability, surely.

[@thenonsequitur]

Translation, I think: "If the Pan Am plane had not accelerated to turn left but had stayed put, would the KLM plane have had enough extra runway to take off?" I think the answer is no. Pan Am crew made the correct call to turn off runway. 2 more seconds and they'd have been clear.

[@دلوعالرياض-ه5ي]

الحمد الله على السلامة

[@bonetonelord]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that a hard right bank by KL4805 could have reduced the damage and loss of life on both aircraft. The KL 742 would have still probably hit the Pan Am's nose with its landing gear and the tail with its engine or wing, but it would have done way less damage, I think.

[@jwvandijk4292]

If you watch this video, you have to conclude, that this accident didn't happen because of one misstake but a serie of misstakes, on al sides. Some say this was only the fault of the KLM captain, but that is stupid. No one really listened to the others, apparently nobody knew C3 exit, visibilaty was poor etc. A big accident allways happens due to more then 1 small misstake which grows to one big failure.

[@flyer203]

I have never heard of this accident...What a disaster.

[@Stenbrotsgatan]

@flyer203 Really? It is the mother of all aviation accidents. Although this video explains in 5 mins the accident it doesn't go into details about all of the factors leading up to it. But still a very good summary.

[@TheStapleGunKid]

One notable thing about this incident was the fact that the Los Palmas airport re-opened just a few hours after a terrorist bombing. Could anyone imagine that happening in the post-9/11 world?

[@dogs071]

Okay chill. One thing this lady forgot to say is that Pan American went to C4 instead of C3, If they listen'd there wouldn't be a air crash even though if KLM did not get clearance for take off.

[@workz780]

ugh so much loss and Heartache, this is why i NEVER like flying ...

[@nathanieljasondemesa3135]

No. Only special one gets to experience that.

[@rbmeatfan100]

@Hynee tenerife didn't have ground radar at that time, so due to the fog the tower couldn.t see the runway. the KLM pilot was in a hurry as his working hours were almost up

[@ruchango]

Not an expert here , why are they instructed to go to the other side of the road and do a 180 to take off. Why they just couldn't take off from where they were waiting?

[@QueenSable7]

They needed to take-off into the wind, so the runway was only active in the opposite direction.

[@ruchango]

@@QueenSable7 thanks