Tenerife Airport Disaster - DISASTER BREAKDOWN

For further reading on this accident, consider purchasing a copy of David Alexander's Book "Never Wait For The Fire Truck:", available on Amazon: www.amazon.co....
In March 1977, two Boeing 747 passenger planes crash into each other at a small airport in Tenerife in low visibility. A long chain of individual events lead to this tragedy. The deadliest aviation disaster in history.

[@DisasterBreakdown]

For further reading on this accident, consider purchasing a copy of David Alexander's Book "Never Wait For The Fire Truck:", available on Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Wait-Fire-Truck-Deadliest/dp/0692471871 He also had taken some of the pictures of the accident on the day one of which was used in this video.

[@masennus2495]

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[@keyman6689]

Also "Terror at Tenerife" by Norman Williams and George Otis. I remember reading that book in high school, and it's what brought me to this video.

[@davidalexander7742]

@@keyman6689 I was sitting directly behind Norman Williams and have heard his presentation twice.

[@christinethieme8695]

@@keyman6689 I read that book in grade school! Agreed, it began a fascination. Nice to know that book impacted someone else too, most people have never heard of it; I cannot forget it. 😔

[@christinethieme8695]

@@davidalexander7742 Wow! What a blessing to hear it directly from the author! Amazing, thank you for sharing!

[@jr13227]

KLM actually tried to approach the captain of this flight to help investigate the accident only to realize he had died in it.

[@SoulDevoured]

I can't help but wonder if some shitty practices from KLM made the captain so antsy.

[@CassassinCatto]

That must have been embarrassing

[@bogdangabrielonete3467]

KLM : We'll send our best pilot to assist in the investigation KLM to itself : (low voice) so where is Van Zanten? ... KLM : ... *_f u c k_*

[@PinkAgaricus]

If I ran any of them that day I would have watched world news to see what was going on in that part of the world before fulfilling anybody's tickets...if I found out anything was going on at the actual destination, I would have postponed all the flights at a safer airport (origin for both, JFK for Pan Am and whatever the source was for KLM) for a few hours or even for a day until both the terrorism incident and weather passed. I wonder if this is also a case of "please plan ahead and prepare yourself" (aka check yourself before you wreck yourself. In this case literally) on the corporate portion of the airlines. Shows how much we live in a bubble being oblivious to things happening elsewhere. I think this was true at the time of this incident.

[@bogdangabrielonete3467]

@@PinkAgaricus It's easy to say "I would have done X" in hindsight. But no one could have known this would happen. And you must also take into account the procedures and mentality of the time. It's easy to judge the past by today's standards, but back then it was different.

[@saxmanb777]

No matter how many times I listen to this accident, I somehow hope the story changes in that Pan Am got out of the way in time or KLM got off the ground in time.

[@SadMarinersFan]

I feel so bad for the PanAm pilots. I can't imagine loosing my life because someone else was too impatient to wait 30 seconds.

[@vibingwithvinyl]

@@SadMarinersFan The captain, first officer, and flight engineer of the Pan Am flight all survived. Like pretty much all accidents, this was a series of unfortunate decisions. Main one of course being the KLM captain deciding to take off without clearance.

[@robertmcghintheorca49]

Me too. If only the Pan Am could've gotten off the runway quicker or the KLM wasn't too heavy, and it would just be a close call for the history books.

[@menno730]

@@vibingwithvinyl well the thing is that he thought he was allowed to take off. But sadly the stupid radio was so bad....

[@jetserofficial]

@@menno730 no take off clearance, the engineer had warn him, it's pure impatience

[@dubbyhctv4492]

Imagine being that woman who decided not to get back on the plane, she was probably so greatful for her acts but felt so unfair because of what happened to the other people

[@Ozymandias1]

She died last year at age 67.

[@manuelvalentin2648]

Probably lived with survivor's guilt the rest of her life.

[@thewhorenextdoor8268]

@@manuelvalentin2648 You got survivors guilt only if you knew the people, for an example I suffer from this condition due to losing some of my platoon members in Iraq, I I knew all of them even their serial number, spouses, kids and pets

[@PascalD87]

@@thewhorenextdoor8268 that's just wrong. Why are you gatekeeping this?

[@laceneil4570]

@@thewhorenextdoor8268 She did know some of the people. Robin was a tour guide, so she knew the people in the tour group, plus the other guides were her friends. She tried to persuade them to get off the plane with her, but they refused. Imagine leaving your friends on the flight, probably promising to meet up next week, and then finding out that the plane crashed and everyone on it died.

[@et9120]

I feel so bad for the pan-am crew. You just know he was staring into the mist hoping to god he didn't see that plane come barreling out off of it.

[@GunsNRoses1123]

I'm so happy that att least the Pan am crew survived as the crash wasn't their fault. This is so much an accident that shouldn't have happened, all those poor, innocent people who died.

[@xonx209]

It says when the PAN AM pilot saw the KLM, he put on max thrust and try to get off the run way ASAP. Why wasn't he doing this to begin with?

[@et9120]

@@xonx209 It seems he thought the KLM had understood and was holding short for takeoff, he thought he had the runway to himself. He most likely saw the lights illuminating the fog and knew only the KLM plane could've been coming through there.

[@danismith3112]

@@xonx209 there was a lot of mist, the KLM crew misunderstood the instructions given to hold.

[@michaelvalmo]

@@xonx209 it was on poor visibility so the pilots were a bit careful while taxiing so as not to taxi on the grass area.

[@HaXD1209]

"Standby for takeoff" *Ramps engine to full power*

[@davidgahan-ks5jh]

Yeah ... he thought he was larger than life...after that rules changed in the cockpit...captains of the plane dont play the gods anymore

[@rp7r54]

@@davidgahan-ks5jh Some people say that the KLM captain was arrogant

[@thedave1771]

And yet KLM wouldn’t willingly accept responsibility, which I still find genuinely staggering. I understand the caption may have misunderstood some of the situation, but he had no indication he had *takeoff* clearance.

[@crazy4gta1]

Actually that message was not heard by the klm crew. The pan am and the tower transmitted at the same time and caused the message not to be heard

[@thedave1771]

@@crazy4gta1 He was not given clearance. He guessed he had clearance, and everyone paid the price.

[@gomphrena-beautifulflower-8043]

I missed it if it was mentioned here, but it’s my understanding that KLM headquarters was hurriedly searching for their erstwhile senior Captain to respond to this accident, and were horrified to learn that ironically, he was the one that caused it and was one of the casualties. RIP those who died, and may we who are in positions of management or authority always remember humility is an important trait.

[@maggie210]

You're right!I heard about this fact.

[@rp7r54]

Yes - people say that the KLM captain was arrogant

[@sharoncassell9358]

I always say get there itis is rushing to a grave. When driving we see people speeding only to be stopped by a red light or cop. Camera. Or accident.

[@pyramidhead2874]

Very well said...

[@trevorstokens2894]

It’s crazy how if KLM would have been 5 minutes more patient, they could have powered down the run way without clearance just fine

[@davidgahan-ks5jh]

There was a difference of 60 seconds....pan am was already turning to clear the runway when KLM appeared..

[@willbernhardt4163]

By contrast, if they had been even less patient and skipped getting fuel, they may have gotten off the ground in time. Absolutely insane.

[@dexterpoindexter3583]

@Trevor's Tokens Yes, but... If there was fog at Gordo on La Palma, the KLM could have made the same kind of mistake there. They would feel even more rushed because of losing those 5 minutes. And that pesky Pan Am would still be right behind them... along with plenty of other planes from Tenerife asking to land ASAP.

[@kay9549]

Trevorstokens the weather did improve 5-10 minutes or so. If the tower had refused klm to refuel. A lot if "if's". Klm captain did not listen to first officer, flight engineer. He was told by his first officer, they did not have clearance to takeoff, only route clearance. During takeoff role the flight engineer did address is the pan am clear.

[@MC-dg6yu]

Maybe by skipping fuel, both the airplanes may have avoided the fog, which would have avoided any accident, as both ends of the runway would have been clearly visible as well as any potential obstructions, even if ATC messages were missed or not followed as required.

[@erlienfrommars]

Captain Grubbs did his best to steer his plane away, and that gave 61 people the chance to live and tell the tale today, he died on 1995. F/O Bragg survived long enough to become one of the few people interviewed on many documentaries that featured this disaster, He died on 2017.

[@Alb410]

Don't forget the miscommunication was also a big part. Radios those airliners used were 2-way only and when 2 people speak at once, it causes a big static void of a noise instead. Both ATC and the Pan Am talked at the same time, further complicating the situation.

[@katiesays]

Yeah, that’s a really important piece of information. I didn’t know that.

[@janicenicholls5924]

The KLM pilot thought he heard OKAY to take off, obviously or he would never have done his action. Such a tragedy written in time and no way to change it.

[@dexterpoindexter3583]

Having every transmission acknowledged by the receiver, with callsigns, is now a standard practice that was introduced because of this accident's investigation and report.

[@Ben-ks5bm]

Was a small thing, Blame fully lays with KLM

[@robabob1001]

Yeah I agree with whats being said, no-one was using call signs, no-one was double checking... KLM at fault absolutely. Who powers up for take off when you've just heard, 'we're still on the runway!'

[@timteevin4517]

"Captain Important" was the cause.

[@edchester1773]

BINGO!

[@aaronbritt2025]

How do you know there's a Senior Captain in the room? Don't worry, he'll let you know.

[@justinwallace390]

"Captain Entitlement"

[@rp7r54]

KLM Captain Arrogant

[@managed9348]

Captain I’m in Charge

[@kat_the_ot]

I remember learning about this in the medical profession of all places. It really changed how pilots and airlines do checklists and hold each other accountable and how now doctor and other people in medicine do their work and how to listen to others even if they're considered "beneath" you.

[@sushi0513]

yeah, they talk about how aviation industry operates and learns from events in the medical profession and safety culture education a lot.. the checklists are HUGE!

[@LegosRock223]

I learned about it in nursing school as well, I recognized it the moment the fog was brought up

[@bumman117]

What was the lesson on? Like how a disaster could overwhelm a hospital?

[@kat_the_ot]

@@bumman117 it was all about communication with the other people on your medical team, especially during an emergency. Like having a nurse call out a doctor if he wants to give a medication that the patient is allergic to. Don't be afraid even though he's the doctor.

[@davidalexander7742]

It's called Crew Resource Management and I detail that in my book "Never Wait for the Fire Truck".

[@AidenTheAviator]

Another extremely close call was in 2017 when an Air Canada Airbus A320 nearly landing on a taxiway in San Francisco which was occupied by 4 fully loaded planes. All 5 planes together had more then 1000 people on them. The Air Canada missed the other planes by 14 feet, which is way too close for planes.

[@davidalexander7742]

I am aware of that near miss. The news media compared the possible loss of life to the Canary Islands Crash.

[@dexterpoindexter3583]

@Aiden The Aviator That A320 started its go-around only after one of the pilots on the taxiway switched on all of his plane's lights... the instant change is easily visible on security camera video.

[@Erik_Swiger]

Every time I start KZbin, it plays an ad for KLM (not sure why this happens). Same words each time: "Imagine...4,000 people, on one plane..." Yeah, just imagine, after binge-watching these videos.

[@DaWrecka]

@@Erik_SwigerImagine 4,000 people on one KLM plane... Godverdomme, indeed.

[@kay9549]

Aiden do remember that incident at SFO, there were three planes awaiting clearance to depart. The air Canada was coming into a landing on the same runway. Its so fortunate that the second plane put on lights, so air Canada had to do a go around. Not sure what the distance was, but was very close to the second plane, tail/stabilizer. Think they mention in overall investigation it was 7 feet. Not sure if that is correct.

[@jay01342]

I like how you explain everything in detail both visually and auditorily. You're the best flight disaster channel I've watched. Also RIP to everyone who died from this disaster.

[@MissLehane]

A very similar accident happened in October 2001 in Milan, Italy. It's known as the Linate Airport disaster. It was a foggy morning and a Cessna entered the runway while a SAS MD-87 was taking off. The Cessna was destroyed by impacted and the SAS MD-87 became uncontrollable, crashed the luggage hangar and exploded. All died on both Cessna and MD-87, plus 4 of the ground personnel working in the hangar. In this case, however, the fault was at the Cessna whose pilot either confused the taxiway (the numbers were not legible due to poor maintenance and fog) or deliberately crossed the runway, as in the trial it emerged that some pilots of small planes were used to take a "shortcut". Linate Airport also was at fault for poor maintenance of the taxiways and the fact that the safety systems like incursion alarms had been deactivated. Poor people. 118 souls lost.

[@BigBlueJake]

Wasn't the Cessna a CitationJet though? Business jet, not the lil' bugsmashers many people learn to fly in. A Cessna 172 shouldn't be wandering around in fog.

[@larchman4327]

Small and big planes shouldn't even use the same airport.

[@GermanShepherd1983]

I remember when this happened. KLM tried to blame Pan Am for not taking the earlier exit that turned the wrong way. It's obvious that van Zanten was totally to blame.

[@ecidadeII]

There’s at least a half dozen times where I just close my eyes dreading the next few phrases, hoping that somehow the outcome changes.

[@Rod.Machado]

This accident makes my blood boil, simple measures couldve made this airport and day uneventful, only if captain important started to think like a pilot not a CEO controlling costs.

[@evazquez2188]

All accidents are like that. There is never a single cause, but a series of events that take place in the right order and at the same time. If only one of the events didn't take place, the accident would not have happened. 1. Without bomb at Las Palmas, this would have never happened. 2. Without KLM strict Flying time restrictions policy, this may not have happened. 3. Without 3 KLM passengers being late to re-board the plane, this may not have happened. 4. Without Capt. Van Zantem refueling the plane, this would not have happened. 5. Without fog, this would not have happened. 6. Without PanAm missing exit C3, this would not have happened. 7. Without radio interference, this may not have happened.

[@eatmyfard4382]

Moral of the Story: Patience is rewarded(In this case, If Captain Important did not rush, There wouldn't be such a devestating disaster)

[@rp7r54]

Concur

[@khman1983]

The KLM pilot was wrong and the airline wanted to blame the Pan Am pilots for the disaster. Sadly, the KLM pilot should have used better management of the plane, taking on too much fuel which made the disaster even worse and not waiting for the proper clearance. Had the plane not been fully loaded with fuel, it might have gained more altitude to avoid the collision.

[@janicenicholls5924]

Doubt it.

[@rp7r54]

YES - A lot of people say that the KLM captain was arrogant, smug, condescending, opinionated, etc.

[@RJDJ-tz2hd]

I started watching your vids yesterday and I am hooked.

[@user-vm2wi8no1s]

Same.

[@kuponut26]

Fking same

[@arandomthing2489]

Same

[@conniethomas4753]

I’m developing KZbin-itis on days don’t have work or specific things to be doing! Should be concerned I may believe I can fy a plane soon ha ha :-)

[@Lyoko6023]

Same here, greetings from Mexico!!

[@itscosmicnerd]

This is incredibly heartbreaking. My heart goes out to the families of the victims of this horrific accident. An example of impatience and arrogance rather than valuing human life.

[@jamesr1703]

I'll never complain about a delay again.

[@davidh6300]

Me too

[@guilhermefernandes5762]

Man, this maybe one of the saddest acidents ever. Just one mistake cost the of more than 500 people. Just can't imagine how the both crews heads were when they saw that other giant plane coming towards than.

[@vulpesinculta1919]

Love these videos, really in depth yet simple for the layman. Def better than the usual flight simulator footage and text you get on other channels

[@tylerjerabek5204]

Agree, however one channel gives more of the conversation aboard KLM and with ATC than this; however this gives a lot more of the aftermath and investigation

[@greebo7857]

I have watched many videos on this horrific incident. This presentation is head snd shoulders above the rest. Kudos and a new sub.

[@dontspikemydrink9382]

did you see disaster breakdown

[@Caracaraorangeberry]

i don’t understand why VanZanten thought he would have been “in trouble” over circumstances that were completely out of his control re: the diversion to Tenerife, over a bomb threat. wouldn’t KLM have understood?

[@jasonvoorhees6152]

because the Dutch government made the rule not KLM.

[@Caracaraorangeberry]

@@jasonvoorhees6152 i didn’t know that. i thought it was a KLM policy. it’s astonishing that so many people can be taken out at once in an air disaster like this.

[@BigBlueJake]

@@jasonvoorhees6152 That's an important piece of information the disaster shows should have mentioned. It would explain why even van Zanten was worried about going over time.

[@Poodlefang89]

I’ve watched over ten different videos about this accident and you my friend have by far explained it and broke it down the best. Well done brother. Have a great day. Love your videos!

[@chandrachurniyogi8394]

one pilot's complacency & ego is the reason for such a crash!!!

[@Joe-el2wx]

no its not

[@keeganfennec8514]

@@Joe-el2wx yes it is

[@Joe-el2wx]

@@keeganfennec8514 how? There were like a million different things that went wrong that day. You can't simply blame a single guy.

[@madelijnvanbeek3600]

@@keeganfennec8514 did you watch the video?? There was so much more than that. He could’ve lost host permit to fly if he didn’t take of on time

[@ChaosCat79]

@@madelijnvanbeek3600 Which *still* would leave Van Zanten as one of the primary causes of this tragic accident. Regardless of whatever inter-company regulations you are working/flying under, *no* pilot should ever proceed with a take off without confirming he has clearance from air traffic control - *especially* so in heavy fog restricting visiblity so severely. And anyway, being the highly "respected" (debatable) captain he was in KLM, surely he had the sort of clout within KLM to likely get a slap on the wrist from the company management, rather than a more serious reprimand.

[@Mochrie99]

I can't even begin to imagine the horror of this disaster. I was less than 2 years old at the time it happened, and only learned about it in the last decade or so through various KZbin videos and documentaries. I hope to god that no other air disaster of this magnitude ever happens again. Though, with impatient pilots like Capt. Van Zanten, it sadly may....

[@lueagle09]

Another thing I heard in another explanation was that in the Netherlands at that time, the consequences for going over duty hours included license revocation, if I’m remembering correctly. The Smithsonian channel, my source here, has a series called “Air Disasters” and cover this accident.

[@spongebubatz]

Yes that’s true, the main or only reason the KLM pilot wanted to leave

[@Xxxxxx19-p1c]

I cracked up at the most professional and descriptive word ‘squished’. 🤣🤣

[@algermom1]

Great research, narration and presentation of this immense tragedy. Thank you!

[@juliaweir6641]

In sept of 2001 I was on a flight from Nova Scotia to Toronto we almost landed then suddenly nosed up quickly the pilot came on and told us we barely missed another plane on the runway

[@shaniceturner7640]

Wow

[@artemis6828]

im glad you’re okay

[@dexterpoindexter3583]

@Julia Weir Great work by that pilot. Bet the lesson was almost lost in the chaos of 9-11 though, less than 2 weeks later...

[@ianjeremy4471]

Captain Van Zanten was the poster boy (literally) for KLM, He got to big for his boots and because of his celebrity status at the airline, he decided normal rules including take off clearance, did not apply to him!

[@franrbrown]

Highly improbable. It was his belief he had the proper clearance.

[@ianjeremy4471]

@@franrbrown Not improbable.. FACTS !

[@franrbrown]

@@ianjeremy4471 People who yell out FACTS or TRUTH are in my experience actually the least likely to know what those are. So what is your proof Van Zanten's KNEW he didn't have the proper clearance, as opposed to mistakenly thinking he had the clearance, when he began his take off? I would like to see just how well you know the difference between a fact and conjecture. Let's see if you are up for the challenge.

[@lonerebeI]

@@franrbrown Please shut up. What type of maniac defends captain error such as this

[@hlowrylong]

It has been discussed that the radio transmissions had clicked over some of the parts of each person’s sentence. Van Zanten could have thought he had clearance, but he clearly should have double-triple checked the comms.

[@AstraSystem]

Slowly working my way through Chloe's older videos. Love this channel!

[@DisasterBreakdown]

As some have pointed out, there is a small mistake at 12:28 It was actually the Flight Engineer Willem Schreuder who said that not the First Officer. Sources: archives.pr.erau.edu/ref/Tenerife-ALPAandAFIP.pdf www.skybrary.aero/index.php/B742_/_B741,_Tenerife_Canary_Islands_Spain,_1977 www.faasafety.gov/files/gslac/courses/content/232/1081/finaldutchreport.pdf www.project-tenerife.com/engels/cvrtranscript.htm kzbin.info/www/bejne/bImmoKukndeZe7c news.google.com/newspapers?id=kNZVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6418%2C7066417 confessionsofatrolleydolly.com/2017/03/26/angels-of-the-sky-dorothy-kelly-the-tenerife-disaster/teneife-disaster-diagram/ web.archive.org/web/20110715122130/www.project-tenerife.com/engels/PDF/alpa.pdf www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/final-eight-minutes/

[@BestIkeaTable]

And math

[@monot00nz]

The impatience of the captain was the only variable that could be controlled, yet wasn't. What a shame that greed caused this tragedy.

[@kdawson020279]

I've only had the displeasure of the experience of two plane crashes in my immediate vicinity that affected me... an experimental Bombardier takeoff accident, and a Beechcraft B200 that crashed mere yards from where I work morbidly causing the only 3 deaths to occur in an actual plane crash in a FlightSafety flight simulator [N52SZ] in 2014. A twin-engine Beech going down full of fuel is horrific enough and the fire didn't go cold for many hours due to the remaining structure holding much of the burning fuel, and only recent roadwork finally erased the scar left by the Bombardier many years ago. I can see the photos, huge aviation fan, flown on jets large and small, but I can't mentally scale that experience up to a jumbo jet, and I hope I never have to.

[@colinwoods9601]

Just breeeezed through, “These incursions still occur on occasion.” My man.

[@ohnowhy700]

Despite watching several videos of this specific disaster and hearing the details over and over again, this whole thing still frustrates me. It was completely avoidable and thats what makes me even more angry about it. I can't imagine what everyone on both flight decks were thinking the second the caught a glimpse of one another.

[@rnhtube]

I've also heard that the atc were watching a soccer game that held some sort of regional or national importance to them, and that there were other factors preventing the rescue of the passengers such as the only fire truck on the island not working and there being nowhere to care for that many injured.

[@paulorocky]

It was just a friendly between.... Spain and the Netherlands

[@HeliosEffect]

Criminally underrated channel

[@EddieZ999]

I dont know why, but I have been fascinated with this accident for years. For some reason it keeps playing out in my head over and over and over. I've been on hundreds of flights, but just recently I've noticed every time I get on a plane now I'm honestly scared shitless. The worst is when the plane does that big turn usually after takeoff and I'm just gazing out the window down at the ground and my stomach gets that churning feeling as I think about how we are all just crammed into a metal sardine can and if something goes wrong, that's it....We all die together in one of the most horrific ways I think possible. But, all the while I am calmly keeping my composure pretending I'm relaxed next to who ever I'm flying with.

[@dexterpoindexter3583]

@EddieZ999 I'm 70 now. At age 25 I flew to India in a group of over 200, on Pan Am. It was August 1977, less than 5 months after the Tenerife tragedy. Hadn't heard about it... though in hindsight I bet many of my colleagues knew of it all too well. So what you're saying rings true. Whenever I get a really painful leg cramp, or my heart does something I notice, this healthy body can start to feel a little like your "sardine can"...

[@richardmcgowan1651]

I mean the captain of the KLM knew there was another plane on the runway and heading down it at taxi speed towards him in low visibility. It would be a case of double and even triple-checking the runway was clear. The only thing to argue against his incompetence was the runway in that amount of low visibility should have been closed.

[@rp7r54]

I agree. Even drag racing in a fog is not good.

[@gusmc01]

Worst ever case of "get there itis". Already re-routed and delayed, further delayed by the refueling, a plane full of frustrated passengers...made the captain in a rush to "get there". A fraction more patience by the captain would have saved over 500 lives.

[@Maddogg-hg5me]

@@gusmc01 Even waiting another 5 minutes likely wouldn't have made much of a difference in whether or not the KLM plane made it to its destination on time. Of course, I also read that both captains were getting radio signal interference while trying to communicate with ATC so it's entirely plausible to think that both of them misunderstood the messages that they were getting from ATC. Still, you would think that an experienced pilot would know better than to take off in low-visibility conditions knowing that another large plane the same size as the one that he's piloting is also scheduled to be taxiing down the runway without getting the all-clear from ATC.

[@teresar6348]

@@Maddogg-hg5me apparently ~60 seconds actually.

[@Ranoldopereztroika]

Every time I hear a recount of these events Final Destination comes to mind.

[@rebeccawoolfolk5377]

Thanks for this clear explanation of what happened. I've watched a couple other videos and was still confused until I watched yours.

[@sushi0513]

If I remember correctly... Tower: Ok, *standby for takeoff* Pan Am: *No, we are still taxiing down the runway* The bolded parts were spoken on the radio at the same frequency at the same time, so they cancelled each other out and only a screech was heard in there place. Thus, Pan Am only heard "Ok" and believed they are good to go.. so even though F/O tried to intervene, he figured they were ok with the this response and didn't want to push it any further since the captain was his senior and much more experience. Correct me if I am wrong, but the above is what I recall from my knowledge of what happened

[@scienceownsimposters2142]

You are right

[@IHaveAFatherButHesAbroad]

Yes, I believe you are correct.

[@mysoundrights]

the restless ghost of Van Zanten,his ego ruined everything.

[@mak868]

You could also say that the terrorist we're to blame. If they weren't so selfish when they blew up the airport all the planes would have landed on their destination. Besides that it was the captains fault for not dubbel checking everything. That means that this human mistake became a tragedy.

[@Ozymandias1]

Forever doomed to roam the skies like Willem van der Decken was doomed to roam the seas.

[@madelijnvanbeek3600]

Did you watch the video?? They explained that there were way more factors than him rushing into things. If he didn’t lift of he could lose his job

[@dalerussellsullivan9373]

@@Ozymandias1 , yet another 'Flying Dutchman'. 😣

[@quantumwitcher9376]

@@madelijnvanbeek3600 I rather lose my job than kill 500+ people

[@RogueOutlaw]

You definitely have the best disaster videos on KZbin, subscribed.

[@ThirteenPrimes]

I could be wrong but I remember a disaster after wich ATC was no longer to say "take-off" unless giving clearance. I always thought this was that disaster

[@spongebubatz]

It is, now Take off is only used when the pilot can really spool up his engines, for all other cases the term departure is used

[@j.ace.7162]

These are astonishing and very well researched, and well told docus. Thanks! 😮

[@TheYottaTube]

Good video, only the KLM livery that was used in this video, was already replaced by the newer one in reality on PH-BUF.

[@DaWrecka]

The creator might've been using what was available in the software, rather than what was accurate.

[@aprilgates4937]

Because that’s not the complete dialogue. It was later acknowledged but ignored. The final result relates to poor miscommunication and non air verbiage from the tower. It is true that the Capt. did start take off, co-pilot stated that we haven’t been cleared, pilot says call them. Tower: okay.... standby for take off. While taking off, the crew of KLM cannot hear further radio installments (noisy in the cockpit). Although the co-pi did wonder if Pan Am cleared the runway yet. Pilot states,”oh yes”. Until he is able to see they haven’t, tried to take off but is to heavy. Bad series of events.

[@FatheredPuma81]

"Hey there's a plane on the runway you know!" "Then they best get out of the way! I'm coming through!!!"

[@JuanCruz-ef5os]

THE KLM PILOT IS TO BLAME. PERIOD.

[@franrbrown]

And there were also contributory factors too.

[@TheZombifiedFairy]

@@franrbrown and yet he's the main factor that made this happen

[@cchris874]

@@TheZombifiedFairy You know, I go out somewhat on a limb here. I personally think that the primary cause of the crash should be comprised of two things: Captain's failure; and the fact that the protocol being used by ATC was unacceptable, putting paying passengers into a situation that fell below basic standards of redundancy. Of those two, perhaps the KLM error was more fundamental, but the ATC practice was closer to a primary rather than contributory cause.

[@cchris874]

(I have been using 2 different accounts lately, Fran = cchris874)

[@TheZombifiedFairy]

@@cchris874 the problem is the airport wasn't built for large bodied aircraft, bur the airport that was was under attack. Keeping in mind this is a airport not built for the type of craft he's flying, the KLM pilot should have been double and triple checking to make sure all his ducks were in a row and that he was doing his utmost to keep those paying passengers and hus crew safe. He failed to do so. He was told MULTIPLE times that he did not have the clear yet and he went anyway. Can you imagine if the person in charge of safety at your job told you repeatedly to wait, your other coworker told you to wait, and you still did a task anyway, injuring yourself and the coworker? The safety person isn't at fault, nor is the coworker, both of whom told you to WAIT. It would solely be your fault for overriding direct commands. Could that airport use some improvements? Definitely, most can. But this one man's actions would be the primary catalyst for this disaster.

[@benjijames7808]

I am a Dash-8 captain with QantasLink and your account is great I will share it with all my flight crews

[@DisasterBreakdown]

Thank you for your comment, always glad to hear from pilots.

[@mrkipling2201]

Thanks for this. Some facts in it that I didn’t know. I knew about most of what happened with this disaster.

[@DamienAlexander]

This crash was horrible for Amsterdam, most of my parents friends were in this flight and my dad was supposed to be on it too but didn't go. They talked about it so much even in the 90s.

[@swarajacharekar4862]

The klm authorities were the real culprits with such harsh timing rules

[@calzoneyyy]

FINALLY someone said this

[@jfraserfisher]

Yes but that is to stop an accident from fatigue which has also caused accidents.

[@SoulDevoured]

@@jfraserfisher they have to do it. But I can't help but wonder if they gave their pilots alot of shit for doing it. It wouldn't be the first job where someone rushes to avoid having to meet some regulations because management treats them like crap for it.

[@GorgeDawes]

These weren’t KLM’s rules per se but state legal limits, they would have been breaking Dutch law by infringing them. Not that that in any way justifies rushing to beat the limits in the way that caused this accident, if you can’t meet the flight time limitations then you should not depart.

[@iClone101]

Strict pilot timing is a standard in the airline industry. It wasn't the time limit, but instead van Zanten's urgency to get the plane airborne. IMO the moral is to not have someone who pilots a plane to have logistical duties. van Zanten wanted to get off the ground because if he didn't, he would have to deal with all the extra stuff caused by the delay.

[@firefly4f4]

One thing that seems to be omitted, although it's minor, is the reason for the rapid weather changes on Tenerife. The island has Mt. Teide, an active volcano and the highest mountain in Spain. Air currents over any large mountain can cause environment changes, and it's proximity to the ocean just exacerbates these. In this case, it was low clouds, not fog

[@peterleiza4351]

I remember this on the news. Pilot error kills 500+

[@cadet8376]

Finally, a video that includes what happened to the KLM after they collided

[@cheetosftw3098]

I am stuck on watching your videos, but good job on these very detail explanations. This is very sad and may all those poor souls RIP 🙏 I have never heard of most of these plane accidents so ty for these videos!

[@pooryorick831]

There are so many "if onlys" in this mess. The biggest is if only KLM hadn't selfiahly refueled, trapping all other aircraft ready to depart behind them. Even if everything else were still unchanged, if the KLM hadn't taken the extra fuel, they might have been light enough to lift off sooner and clear the Pan Am. I found out about this accident when I went out early Monday morning to deliver newspapers. This was the whole front page that day. I will never forget that. I was 14 years old when this happened. It still haunts me all these years later.

[@eyesofstatic9641]

Hey! Great video! I liked the crew breakdown and airport depiction to give and idea of space.

[@DisasterBreakdown]

Thank you so much for your comment. I believe in providing visual depictions for these types of videos.

[@eyesofstatic9641]

@@DisasterBreakdown Oh for sure, bro! I loved those along with the flight sim 3d animations of the incident. I'm a sub now! I'll even hit that little bell icon. lol

[@DisasterBreakdown]

@@eyesofstatic9641 Thanks so much, the next video is being worked on and will be out soon!

[@eyesofstatic9641]

@@DisasterBreakdown I look forward to it! It'd be neat if you and the channel Mini Air Crash Investigation made a collaboration.

[@stoeipoes10]

Many facts quoted here are incorrect. Bragg confirmed clearly : " okay , we'll report when we're clear". Not just ok report runway clear. Second: the flight engineer , not the first officer was the one who heard this message and tried to confront the captain

[@CharlotteForbes]

This is a great video outlining what lead to a most disastrous crash. I had viewed one video pointing almost all the blame towards the pilot, and another video making it all seem like compounding miscommunications. Of course, it's easier to be biased when one of the pilots is a chief pilot. I think that the chief pilot is still the main one to blame for everything. He chose to re-fuel his plane now rather than later, which backed everything up. If it had been a mad rush against time, this pilot would not have chosen to re-fuel just yet. So, I still think that his arrogance got in the way. As well, the head pilot ignored his colleague who was trying to clarify whether or not they had gotten clearance. It was another demonstration of his arrogance and unwillingness to listen to others. Please, everyone, no matter how experience you may be, always remain humble.

[@davebeattie9573]

There are a few errors in this video. The KLM F/O was in the middle of reading back the ATC clearance when the KLM Capt initiated the second takeoff attempt, this caused the KLM F/O to hurriedly add "We are at takeoff." Meaning that they were now starting their takeoff run. The ATC believing that the KLM was holding position replied "Okay." The Pan Am then reported that they were still on the runway, at the same time as the ATC was also transmitting, which produced a hetrodyne squeal that obscured part of the ATC and Pan Am messages. However enough had gotten through that ATC responded to the Pan Am with the message to report when clear of the runway, however they misidentified the Pan Am as Papa Alpha 1736 instead of Clipper 1736. The Pan Am the replied that they would report when they were clear of the runway and finished the message with their correct call sign of Clipper 1736. Upon hearing this it was the KLM flight engineer who raised the question of whether the Pan Am was clear of the runway, and not the F/O.

[@jackmonaghan8477]

Also, this disaster nearly got overtaken as the worst in aviation history when two Japan Air Lines planes (a 747 and a DC-10) nearly collided in mid-air. And of course there was another notable runway incursion not mentioned in the vid in the form of the 2001 Linate Airport disaster.

[@frozenuruguayball6436]

If they did collide Japan air would hold both most deadliest single plane and most deadliest double plane crash at that point just shut down

[@smwca123]

@@frozenuruguayball6436 Japan does hold that sad distinction: the August 12, 1985 crash of JAL 123 that killed 520, including Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto, 43. That's the subject of a separate video on this channel.

[@mrkipling2201]

It was caused by one thing and one thing only and that was Van Zanten’s impatience.

[@vulpesinculta1919]

Controller not having a clue didnt help either

[@paulyoung7551]

That's grossly oversimplifying an otherwise complex disaster. I would say his impatience was the straw that broke the camel's back, but to say the disaster was completely his fault is putting an unfair aura of villainy on his shoulders. He didn't want to die. In his mind, possibly under heavy stress, he thought he was cleared for takeoff and so disregarded everything else around him that suggested otherwise (Confirmation Bias). I'm sure he wouldn't have sent his plane down the runway if he could see the Pan Am plane ahead of him.

[@mrkipling2201]

@@paulyoung7551 simplifying things is sometimes the best thing to do. He bullied his crew into taking off before they had the proper clearance. I know there were a lot of contributing factors but the main reason was his impatience and maybe a bit of an inflated ego to say I’m more important than anyone else.

[@ebonyloveivory]

@@mrkipling2201 I agree with you. Sometimes all it takes is that one man's patience to change the course of things. Yes, many factors like terrorism, refueling, small airport, terrible weather, incomplete infrastructure, miscommunication etc. were all contributing factors but imagine had he been patient and waited a couple of minutes, this would not have happened.

[@mrkipling2201]

@@ebonyloveivory many thanks for your comment.

[@easy_eight2810]

I think you have used he wrong livery for the KLM Boeing 747-206B named "The Rhine", but overall it's a great breakdown

[@gilbertfranklin1537]

It is almost unreal that two of the finest machines ever built to fly so safely in the sky had a head-on collision on the ground. This should not have happenefd.

[@velvetnightmare3133]

I haven't seen such a Short explanation of this event but you did a great job being succinct

[@ZeFleischwaffe]

Basically it came down to money as always. Sad stuff

[@pawsomecolours740]

I don't like how most of the videos on this accident depict it like KLM pilot disregards clear "stand by for take-off" message. While in fact the communication was ambiguous in parts, and most likely KLM did not fully get "stand by" message due to radio interference. I agree that had been KLM pilot more patient nothing would have happened, but it's neither true nor helpful put all the blame on him only. If ATC had started their message with "Pan Am is still on a runway in front of you" nothing would have happened either. This disaster led to many important changes in communication like avoiding ambiguous phrases, using word "take-off" only for actual take-off clearance and others.

[@peteconrad2077]

The point is, you don’t take off without a clear and unambiguous clearance to do so.

[@PinkAgaricus]

I think the dutch airline regulations are to blame as well since it gave him unnecessary stress which probably caused this whole thing. If we could go back and fixed everything that went wrong, holding both flights, until both the attack at the destination airport and the bad weather passed, at their source airports. I believe there's a lot of blame to go around in this situation sadly. Regulations/corporate (in the case of the KLM pilot), terrorists, and the weather at takeoff/taxi, etc.

[@peteconrad2077]

@@PinkAgaricus all that needed to be changed is the KLM waiting for takeoff clearance.

[@Boundwithflame23]

@@peteconrad2077 I mean…the very first domino that fell is the attack at Gando. Really can just fix that and negate any reason to go to Tenerife in the first place.

[@peteconrad2077]

@@Boundwithflame23 but there’s no direct effect there. By that logic we’d just say dint fly because then they’d not be there either.

[@pankajkhatri5573]

What impatience can do. I learned a lesson.

[@odeliamili7129]

It's because Dutch's authority strict regulation that also caused it.

[@somehaloguy9372]

What stress of being overworked on a strict schedule with the entire company seeing you as the most experienced and senior pilot and trying to maintain a good reputation can do

[@justdecaffeinated]

"standby for take off" "CLEAR FOR TAKE OFF YOU SAY?"

[@ScoobsGaming]

You sir are very good at these videos!

[@jeffreydeeds9225]

Great video! I hope this will forever remain the deadliest aviation accident ever.

[@efistofelico3270]

Great job! Thank you so much!

[@brovid-19]

When two airplanes fly right passed each other they call it a "near miss". BULL SHYT. THATS A NEAR _HIT!_ when two plans collide you could be like "aww, look.. they _nearly missed_ but not quite"

[@spongebubatz]

The word is near miss, if you like it or not

[@dexterpoindexter3583]

@@spongebubatz I don't like it either. But... they call it life insurance, not death insurance. Is that marketing? Maybe saying "near miss" is marketing too... I won't forget @Brovid-19 's honesty. Thanks Bro

[@IHaveAFatherButHesAbroad]

I like your username, ​@@spongebubatz

[@Queen-of-Swords]

I know this part of Tenerife very well, we love to go to the North of the island which is less crowded and not so full of British people! The weather at that end is very strange, being so near to the volcano. One minute it can be fine and sunny, the next it is foggy or spitting with rain. Infact quite often there is a layer of cloud which is deceptive. Being very warm you can go out swimming etc and you will still burn if you don't apply suncream. I have numerous photos of the Lago Martinez complex with people enjoying the warm weather under what appears to be a sky that looks like there will be a storm any minute. Its a much more Spanish feeling part of the island and I love this mysterious foggy weather as it doesn't in any way interfere with activities. But having an airport there wasn't the best idea. We have flown out of Los Rodeos once and all went well, but you say you are going out of that airport and people pull faces. These days Reine de Sofia is much more popular, although our transport to the North of the island is over an hour and quite pricey. Such a sad thing to happen on a beautiful island. RIP all those holiday makers who perished because of one man's impatience.

[@davidalexander7742]

Interesting observation.

[@noleadmons]

One detail i became aware of that i'll never get out of my head is that one of the Pan Am engines continued turning for some time after the impact. That high-pitched whine is all i can hear when i think of this terrible event.

[@arandomthing2489]

This is better than the air disasters coverage of this crash

[@scottsmith8190]

Excellent, accurate, and well researched video 👍👍

[@patreilly1458]

Van Zanten had spent the last year over seeing the training in the 747 simulators for KLM. One thing that was suggested was he was suffering from Simulator Syndrome where if there was a problem with the simulation they just reset everything and went through it again without any outside instructions. Van Zanten in his haste to beat the deadline just reset the take off in his mind and was going to take off regardless what anybody said. KLM rules for pilots were that they had to fly a certain number of hours each to keep their company flight credentials current. Van Zanten had spent so much time in the simulators that he was getting close to that dead line as well. Van Zanten took on this flight because he could get his flight hours and return to the simulators on Monday morning without affecting the simulator schedule. Van Zanten as Chief Pilot just bumped the original captain for that flight and flew it himself. Been Chief pilot he never cleared it with any of the higher management and they did not know he was involved in the accident. As mentioned in these comments the higher management was phoning Van Zanten's residence to get him to go with the crash investigation team from KLM not realizing it was Van Zanten who caused this terrible loss of life. Also when Van Zanten decided to refuel his plane it was after they were reloading and that delay allowed for the fog to really roll in to blanket the airport. The person that left the KLM plane caused a delay while they looked for her until one of the tour group mentioned she had just gone home on the island. That information came from some of the ground staff assisting the plane personnel in loading and finding wayward passengers.

[@LemonGoofball]

My dad just told me that my grandfather was supposed to be on the pan am flight wow

[@EFFEZE]

It's amazing how many people have close family who were meant to be on planes involved in these accidents. Every video about plane crashes have a ton of comments about how their family member was meant to be on board

[@Reignor99]

A moment of silence for the comments never made by people who were never born because their would-be parents died in these accidents.

[@EFFEZE]

@@Reignor99 nah

[@Reignor99]

@@EFFEZE no u nah

[@IANinALTONA]

Why did they not instruct BOTH aircraft to taxi to the RWY30 threshold via Charly 4 and Romeo with a 2 minute buffer between them? That would have avoided the whole problem from the getgo. At the time KLM would have been lined up on RWY30, PanAm would have been snugly on Romeo already.

[@anitahamel4576]

So right!!! 2 planes FACING each other AT THE SAME time was just begging for a disaster...

[@imnotvladimirputin]

10:02 This is when i finally knew that this was the disaster where the plane on front of the Pan Am is taking off while the Pan Am was still going through the runway. But this video explains better. Well He explains things better.

[@EFFEZE]

Yeah it wouldn't be to hard to be able to explain things better than you. I had a stroke trying to understand what your comment is meant to say

[@imnotvladimirputin]

@@EFFEZE Jesus! I also had a stroke trying to read my comment! 😂

[@anitahamel4576]

Just be thankful V L A D I M I R is not a pilot or a controller...

[@imnotvladimirputin]

@@anitahamel4576 yep. It would be even more confusing if I was a pilot using aviation words. 😂

[@s-zz]

this is an example of "everything that could go wrong, did go wrong."

[@SlavaUkraini85]

shows you how important CRM is

[@smwca123]

Which, according to another post here, Van Zanten was trying to steer KLM toward.

[@zakumarmz]

You def deserve more views and subs. Please keep making more!

[@goldenmiddledistanceraces5929]

I remember in 1977 watching the news with my parents and this was reported. But there were no pictures and I did not understand the scale of the devastation until much later.

[@Flashback007]

Let's not forget that the first few years in the Netherlands everything was done to shift the blame away from Van Zanten.

[@sterre6249]

My moms favorite uncle died in this accident. She was really broken abt it. Never heard of terrorism btw

[@nuts5439]

really? thats sad

[@sterre6249]

@@nuts5439 ye, but she was 6 and it was her favorite uncle :(

[@FozzQuaker]

The whole Terrorism thing comes from a Group who wanted Independence for the Canaries from Spain bombed an outlet in Gando Airport and phoned in another Bomb Scare which caused Gando to close, which forced the diversion to Los Rodeos

[@viktorblachowski1655]

I'm flying from Tenerife in two days, now I have something to watch during the flight :D

[@Mostopinionatedmanofalltime]

Oh man. That's not funny.

[@justinwallace390]

I value the humor of your situation

[@GlowingMpd]

👍😔

[@tommcglone2867]

As far as i know the FO on PA1736 Robert Bragg is still alive to this day. He always is willing to talk about what happened as according to him every time he tells the story it helps him to heal more.

[@mylife1221]

actually, he unfortunately passed away in 2017

[@BrokebutCreative]

I don't understand why they took issue with the tour guide leaving. Like why would I stay on a plane to fly somewhere just to fly back where I'm at now?

[@georgiak6017]

Possibly her luggage could not be retrieved off the plane and I understand that it is illegal for luggage to fly and not the owner of it due to terrorism risk.

[@Sashazur]

@@georgiak6017 Back when this incident occurred, airlines were less concerned about unaccompanied luggage.

[@georgiak6017]

@@Sashazur I thought it was in place around then. Might have been by the early 80's. I can remember us discussing no unaccompanied baggage at home and it had to be the 80s at the latest unless I was visiting my parents later on.

[@thelittleredhairedgirlfrom6527]

I would assume it was because they didn’t want potentially confuse cabin crew if there were suddenly passengers missing or potentially have people getting onto flights they weren’t supposed to, nor did they want to leave the baggage there unattended in case of terrorism (as others have mentioned) or in case it got lost or stolen.

[@Ben-ks5bm]

@@georgiak6017Islam risk you mean

[@tammymakesthings]

Another potential contributing factor was that most of Captain Van Zanten’s recent experience had been in simulators, and he might not have been as practiced at listening for ATC clearances, particularly given that the controller was not a native English speaker and was not using standard phraseology in his transmissions. But also, IMO the controller should never have allowed two aircraft to be moving on that runway at the same time. He should have waited for the KLM 747 to back-taxi, turn around, and depart before clearing the Pan Am 747 to enter the runway.