The Crash Of The Century | Tenerife Airport Disaster

[@akeelahtf9845]

So I've been doing some research into this crash. One of the survivors said in the documentary that one of the black flight attendants managed to open up the doors on the other side of the plane, as the other side was engulfed in flames, and that was the reason why they were able to escape. The flight attendant that did so perished from melting engine fuselage that fell on her 😭 In the documentary they didnt say her name, only briefly flashed her photo, but I wanted to share with you all so that she may never be forgotten. Her name was Marilyn Luker and she died performing her duties to get the passengers to safety. Please remember her name.

[@rizwanwasi7019]

She did not become hero in the press because of her skin color.

[@raptorclans]

Bless her kind, brave soul

[@seversley831]

Why did u have to mention she was a black woman?

[@colinryshaf3295]

oh it was a BLACK flight attendant was it-oh

[@CBrolley]

I agree. Skin color is irrelevant.

[@pyro_69]

isnt it ironic that The worst plane crash in history was on the ground?

[@NitrousFox]

Jonah Best that’s not ironic. Almost all fatalities happen on the ground. Albeit, usually from coming into contact with it at high speed.

[@tiax0340]

Every plane once. Ends. Up at the ground

[@cayden2744]

@@tiax0340 Some of them are destroyed mid air

[@1L6E6VHF]

AA11 was the deadliest plane crash (but no accident), and the fatalities were hundreds of feet above the ground.

[@panaxity]

thus “crash” the majority of crashes end up in ground my guy.

[@tillyboos]

The most “avoidable” accident in aviation history.

[@andersberk632]

Flight 163 also gets close, if they would've stopped right after landing most people would have survived.

[@jonbonesmahomes7472]

Yeah, but this was destined to happen.. So many small details happened before the crash including the fog. Terrible..

[@exchange2664]

Jacob veldhuyzen van zanten was a good friend of my father. He made a huge mistake...

[@jonbonesmahomes7472]

@@exchange2664 yes.. Because he was in a hurry.. Tragic.. He should have double checked if the other jet was still on the runway

[@kevrapp44]

REDNAZ “mistake” he was a murderer.

[@DavidKenady]

I’m not a pilot and things may be different now but I’ve always noticed when pilots and towers communicate with each other, their emphasis seems to be how fast they can talk, not how clearly they can communicate. To my ears, it is a miracle anyone understands each other. I would think the communication that goes on between pilots and towers should be the clearest communication of any industry. It appears not to be.

[@klarakennedy4324]

The only thing it compares to is auctioneering which is deliberately fast so that the bider makes a quick impulse decision. Yeah not good.

[@rizwanwasi7019]

👍

[@susanhamptonva4203]

I'm not a pilot either and they do talk so fast even when they are speaking English and it is in aviation-ese, I'm going "what did he say?"

[@nandolopes9897]

I thought that it was a problem concerning only to those, like me, are not native to english language. You are right they should speak prioritizing clarity, ... may be a matter of ego. Expensive in this case.

[@endokrin7897]

Hey! I am a pilot and the fast talking always bothers me. BUT you DO get used to it. But I'm always listening like a hawk. Another thing is they're so quick on the PTT button, they usually cut off the first and last portions of their messages. However, to be fair, pilots do this every day, so it gets repetitive. Flying airlines is cool, but many pilots get burned out. If you watch a lot of these videos, you'd be surprised how often pilots forget which flight they're on. They have made hundreds or thousands of flights, and forget their call signs. But yeah, I have going to Class B airports because it's such a hassle. Especially flying in a single engined plane surrounded by jets. It's hard to get in and they usually tell you to keep your speed up until you're at the runway threshold, the turn off immediately. To me, it takes the fun out of it. I think many of these pilots with 10,000 + hours of flight get complacent.

[@toth1982]

"As long as I am in command I make the decisions" -- this is soo much a sign of a bad leader who can not explain his actions.

[@toth1982]

@Laika24102007 I dont really understand what you are saying. I guess that was from the black box. Or do you think they doctored those recordings?

[@toth1982]

@Laika24102007 Man, if you know this so well, you have to correct it with the creator or on more specific forums. Don't waste your time here on me. I am just somebody who learned about this incident the first time. Good luck.

[@lexa6489]

@Laika24102007 he was just a piece of shit for getting innocent people killed

You are not in any force nor surgeon, right?

[@ProfessionalPilot]

Very true, and this is also why airlines now push CRM so hard now in training. While the PIC certainly has the final say, everyone is expected to jump in if they have something to add. Every experienced pilot I've met has a story (or often stories, plural) about a time when something disastrous could have happened had someone not spoken up even though they weren't the PIC. CRM.... it's a way of life.

[@pvtdipwad2944]

This is why pilots say every rule in the FAR/AIM was written in blood. There is heavy emphasis on runway incursions and this crash is brought up at least once. Just shows the dangers of not listening to ATC. If you're not sure of your instructions, ASK. It's better to be alive with a damaged ego than to be dead and seen as arrogant.

[@Tarheel13]

Scarlet It would have been difficult to exit at C3 when that 747 could not make that turn.

[@Tarheel13]

Scarlet it’s the degree of turn, not its size.

[@Tarheel13]

Anonymous Haha that’s the determination.

[@Tarheel13]

Scarlet did you not read? That 747 could not make that turn.

[@Tarheel13]

Anonymous Haha I don’t think ATC was aware that 747 could not make that turn.

[@howardpower]

Damn. Imagine the looks on everyone's faces when they saw the other plane in each others paths. My goodness. Sheer horror.

[@jamesupton4996]

And the shit in everyone's pants.

[@jeyhundurdyyew5363]

Howard Johnson hello my name is Maral

[@kerem412]

oh it even made me scared rn

[@dinos4december]

I thought there was hair on my screen cause that pfp

[@michaeliraheta6058]

@@dinos4december same

[@jameslevenson8605]

My father was a captain for Pan American from 1969-1985. Victor Grubbs, the captain on this flight was one of his closest friends. He survived this, thank God.

[@saveyourbacon6164]

Did Captain Grubbs have to follow the same escape route as First Officer Robert Bragg, who had to jump 48 feet from the flight deck level to the ground?

[@707josh]

@@saveyourbacon6164 woahh

[@fryhyh]

@@saveyourbacon6164 even if there is a raging fire, idk if i could dare to jump down 48 feet loll

[@O_79]

dont thank god, thank coincidence. god isnt a thing nimrod

[@somerandomguy9125]

@@fryhyh Adrenalin can make you do stuff you wouldn't normally do.

[@jimoathout7543]

I once met Bob Bragg, the First Officer of the PanAm flight, at a bar in Boothbay Harbor Maine. Incredibly, he was one of the 61 people on the PamAm flight who survived. To put it kindly, he was a mess. Suffering horribly from survivors guilt - all he talked about was the people who died. He was completely unable to work at anything, and defined his life in terms of “before Tenerife” and “after Tenerife.” Very sad. I will never forget this meeting.

[@christzep7204]

Wow really?

[@nativeafroeurasian]

Has the rest of the cockpit crew survived as well (I feel so sorry for them since they did everything correct and even waited for the KLM captain to refuel his plane and then the one they waited for just began takeoff roll allthough he was warned by his own crew)?

[@evg8432]

Jim Oathout sorry for him

[@nativeafroeurasian]

@Anthony Farquharson thank god:)

[@momentumstocks3493]

sure you did

[@juno9394]

Moral of the story: Impatience is never the answer. Especially if it’s for safety reasons.

[@johndunn4228]

That BLM pilot was being kind of a bully too.

[@ranganathvangaveti3018]

@@johndunn4228 KLM

[@lisaschuster9187]

But what is it that we lose when we “lose our tempers”?

[@Randomguy-gu2xg]

@Rafael Enriquez he was probably impatient cuz his girlfriend told him her parents were going on vacation for the week and he got excited

[@christystewart4567]

My husband took flying lessons and one of the things they taught him was to bring a book. Why? Because he’d be stuck waiting because of inclement weather. Years ago when I was about 21 we had terrible rainstorms that caused flooding. Years later I learned about a kid who was in a private plane with his mother, a pilot, and his stepfather who was flying the plane. So the weather was bad. Instead of waiting it out his stepfather decided to fly that plane over a spot that was dangerous. And he ran that plane into a mountain. The kid, 6 at the time, survived this but lost his lower legs to frostbite. This could have been avoided if the parents had waited out the storm. It’s even worse since all they had to do was fly to one airport and they possibly could have been given clearance to continue on home.

[@ANDR-gz3fn]

Imagine surviving the worst crash in the entire history, and you're made to take another plane back home..

[@Kni0002]

theres always ships

[@joystickgamer3214]

How about 9/11 I mean this one is sad but 9/11 is the most tragic airplane crash in 20th century. That's so sad!

[@bananaman4207]

Coolbotoolbo hey 9/11 happened on the 21st century

[@joystickgamer3214]

@@bananaman4207 right. But it can be the 2nd most tragic aviation in the world. But 9/11 people died.

[@joystickgamer3214]

I meant to say more people died in 9/11. But this one must've been a un happy ending.

[@ivanriverooo]

I am from Gran Canaria. The island across. My uncle, at the time, was studying in Tenerife's university in La Laguna, a town barely across the road. The crash, the flames, everything was heard and seen from afar. He was amongst those who ran up to the place broke through and did all they could to help. He helped carrying dead bodies out of the scene. Blood, burnt skin, querosene and all types of filth were his scent for weeks, despite multiple showers everyday, let alone his PTSD which he suffered through for a few months. Jose Gregorio Santana Cabrera.

[@adityavardhansingh3501]

Massive respect to him!

[@DrisimueiXR]

I am from tenerife and thank you

[@theflightchannel]

I spent a lot of time to create this video. Hope you like it! "In Memory Of Those Who Died"

[@faithsky734]

I will never forget this Crash. :( could you possibly do the 9/11 attacks if you can?

[@nonsensu13]

MyFlightChannel sad react only...

[@xavionics2064]

MyFlightChannel i saw the report about this crash 😧

[@3DPDK]

As a documentary video, this was done very well. Anyone that flys MSFS knows the tedious nature of setting up sequences with proper camera angles and that many times it takes quite a few recordings to get the right clip. Hats off for your efforts to portray this event accurately and the time it most likely took to do so. As an event in human history, this certainly is tragic, to say the least. It's easy to vilify the captain of the Pan Am aircraft for his decision to refuel (as some comments suggest), causing the delay into the decreased visibility and certainly adding to the intensity of the resulting fire after the collision. It could also be said that the tower was at fault for an unclear response to KLM's request for takeoff clearance, sounding more like giving clearance for the intended flight plan. Some of the blame could also go to the KLM captain for misinterpreting the tower's "flight plan clearance" as permission to take off, and also for assuming the engineer's fears after hearing the broken transmission from the Pan Am flight were unfounded. *In reality, the responsibility of the blood and lost lives rests completely on the shoulders of who ever set the bomb(s) in the airport terminal.*

[@_Gnome.]

How much time?

[@steveclarke543]

Am I wrong in thinking that traffic control should have stopped all movement due to the fog. They couldn't see anything, the pilots couldn't see anything. Would have made sense.

[@IZRElLO747]

Facts! That was number one and number two was the KLM pilot refueling there instead of allowing the Pan Am to go ahead and leave since they was ready. So no you are not wrong!

[@wyomingptt]

In hindsight yeah, but they probably do this dozens of times a month in worse conditions. You could argue that is in itself a problem, but sad thing is airports and airlines run very tight schedules in order to maximize profits. It's just a series of horrible events that individually wouldn't have resulted in disaster but combined to cause the worst accident in aviation history.

[@ZeroSpawn]

Since Air Traffic Control couldn't see any of the planes, he should have told KLM to hold. And spoke to Pan Am to verify their position. Once ATC knew pan am's position then they could have called KLM to Grant take off clearance.

[@andersonduggar6764]

@@IZRElLO747 the reason KLM commander decided to refuel there was because he didn't want to wait to do it at the other airport and would lose time, the reason he did it was because later on was revealed that KLM punished the pilots that was late. Another interesting fact is that the KTM commander was "ace pilot" for KTM and appeared in magazines, the crew members had many respect for him and for this reason just in the final moment did the crew question the commander.

[@PAVLOS2000]

They gave too much trust on the damn controllers and instruments...

[@toverirauhala6137]

My dads dad died on that rest in peace😭

[@benedettonichilo3253]

Rip. I'm so sorry... Such a great pain.

[@cocosmultiverse]

tuuli rauhala sorry to hear that hope you’re okay ❤️

[@planespottingmla7644]

Im sorry for your loss😢❤ He is with God now and safe for sure😭❤❤

[@tomasmillen]

tuuli rauhala sorry if this is a bit to much but pan am or KLM

[@toverirauhala6137]

@@tomasmillen Pan am

[@englishincontext4025]

As is often the case with air disasters, the catastrophe is usually the result of a long string of prior events, all of which are necessary to produce the final outcome. - the bomb in the terminal which made it necessary for the two aircraft to divert. - the fog which descended making the two aircraft invisible to the tower. - the selfish KLM pilot whose insistence on refuelling prevented the Pam Am aircraft from taking off first. - the poor radio transmission leading to unclear instructions. - the unfamiliarity of the Pam Am flight crew for turning off the runway. - the impetuosity of the KLM captain in assuming the Pam Am flight had cleared. Ex BA steward, 747s, 1974-1978, worldwide.

[@spongebubatz]

Thanks for your comment, too many blame the KLM pilot right away

[@kaihunlu2345]

Exactly. A line of events that linked up. Simply, no fog, no disaster.

[@darabennett4316]

I was just thinking exactly the same. In fact, I wonder if by refueling the KLM plane, if that possibly could have also caused more damage to the plane when they crashed? Would the plane have engulfed (entirely) in flames with or without refueling? Idk. Possibly. But one has to wonder. Either way, this was tragic, and sadly, as life continues to replay tragedy, only after, is that when we're able to fix, and learn so that it NEVER happens again. What killed hundreds of passengers one day, saved thousands the next.

[@englishincontext4025]

@@darabennett4316 Hi Dara. Despite my years as cabin crew I don't claim to be an expert on aviation (not that you were suggesting that) but we were all certainly told that less fuel, less chance of conflagration. This was tragic.

[@shyamprasad9575]

This indicates events in this universe are predetermined.

[@NunYa953]

Perfect storm of weather, circumstance, ego, and incompetence.

[@cayden2744]

Wasn't ego, you should search more

[@NunYa953]

@@cayden2744 Whatever you say. Or maybe your ego has gotten in the way of your cognitive abilities?

[@cayden2744]

@@NunYa953 Nah, i'm just saying that the cause wasn't ego, far from that, isn't fair to blame Van Zaten

[@NunYa953]

@@cayden2744 Maybe you should watch the video again, and then read the entire comment.

[@cayden2744]

@@NunYa953 So doesn't make sense watch again

[@tommcglone2867]

There was one passenger on the KLM which didnt reboard and escaped certain death. It was because her and her fiance lived on Tenerife. Robina Van Lanscot.

[@susanhamptonva4203]

Yes. I didn't know her name, but I was wondering about her and also the family the airport couldn't find. I wonder if it did and they re-boarded.

[@wallissimpson5414]

They were probably like, “Oh nice, we got to land closer to home!”

[@srykextraodinairecreation9962]

Miracle

[@rolleypolley0894]

@@susanhamptonva4203 It was 2 teens, and sadly, they did reboard

[@chrisclermont456]

Wow!!

[@invertedreality4473]

the "star pilot" takes off without clearance, unbelievable

[@cchris874]

Goes to show no one is completely immune to basic error.

[@lonerebeI]

@@cchris874 Ain't no "basic" error here, more like huge, monumental disastrous error

[@cchris874]

​@@lonerebeI Which contrary to popular opinion, can happen even when one does their best to comply with all the rules. That's the essential element missing in all these Van Zanten the asshole discussions.

[@lonerebeI]

@@cchris874 Yeah except he WASN'T following the rules was he? Soo your comment is not applicable in this situation. Bottom line.

[@cchris874]

@@lonerebeI You changed the terms of my argument. One can do their best to follow the rules and end up not following them. It happens all the time. It's called making a mistake.

[@marvinjarecki2596]

There is a saying pride comes before a fall. The KLM took 35+ minutes to refuel needlessly then becomes anxious to take off. He ignored the other professionals in the cockpit who seemed to be more aware of the true situation. The blood of all those who perished were incumbent on his arrogance.

[@cchris874]

The arrogance theory is IMO primarily the poetic license of the captain's portrayal in the Mayday series. I don't buy it. The refueling has been a constant source of misapplied criticism. As Mentour Pilot remarked in his video, the decision was operationally sound, and a rational decision based on the circumstances. I am not here to defend Van Zanten's obvious mistake, but he DID listen to his first officer. If he was in fact trying to take off at that moment, he stopped immediately, did he not? As far as the FE's query is concerned, I'll bet that most pilots back then would have also continued the take off, probably assuming the FE was out of the loop. CRM did not exist as a concept back then. Further evidence is in the form of FO Meurs, who stated to the FE, "Yes, he's clear," simultaneously with Van Zanten. Just my friendly two cents of speculation based on many years of following this crash.

[@TheScottishBOLSHEVIK]

yes your partially right, but do bare in mind pilots at this time got arrested for breaking the max flight time in law at the time (idk if it still happens) specifically in the Netherlands and the Pilot of the klm flight had a wife and kid's and openly stated in the voice recorder that they would be worried sick as they knew he was meant to be flying to the airport that got bombed of course this does not make him in angel or anything it only provides are partial understanding of his incompetence.

[@SpartacusColo]

But it was the tower who let KLM delay everything with what seems to be an unnecessary refueling. It was the tower that put two planes on the runway at the same time with severe visibility problems. It was the tower who issued a too-complicated instruction which, basically, sounded like an instruction to take off. It was the tower who failed to check with Pan Am to verify they were clear of the runway. Even assuming that they grant the refueling, then move KLM out of the way as a consequence. Even assuming the tower lets everything happen up until KLM impatiently asking for clearance to take off, the tower should give him a simple "Hold" command, and then ensure Pan Am is clear. They probably should have had a ground car on hand to physically check the runway for clear and to block and direct traffic. While the KLM captain was impatient and imprudent, I think this whole thing is on the tower/control. The captain may be in charge of his plane, Control is in charge of the airport.

[@aminckone.]

​@@cchris874"misapplied criticism" what a load of nonsense. You have to try harder to hide the fact that the Zanten is responsible for 582 deaths. His death dosen't count.

[@cchris874]

@@aminckone. I never said he wasn't responsible, and he was indeed the primary cause of the crash. The misapplied criticism was regarding the refueling. I am right about that. There was no rule or protocol broken. If there is, name it please. All other things equal, best to not add extra fuel if you don't have to. But all things weren't equal here. The circumstances dictated a sound operational reason to take on the fuel here, rather than at Gran Canaria. Both options were sensible. If you are going to blame Van Zanten, fine. But the fueling issue is not of one the valid issues. It's only with anger and rage and the benefit of armchair hindsight that we can stick this extra gratuitous factor on him.

[@KofaAvenueAnimations]

The KLM captain didn't ask the one question that would've prevented the disaster: "Pan Am, this is KLM. I need you to confirm: are you still on the runway? Over."

[@bwktlcn]

I don’t think pilots usually talk to each other in controlled airspace - there’d be a dozen conversations and nobody would hear anything. We used the documentary about this flight in management training. The pilot was the “best” pilot at KLM, he was featured in their adds, and they were actually trying to find him to get him to run the KLM side of the investigation until they realized he was in the accident. In my training classes, it’s usually split 50-50 students blaming him for the crash with him jumping the gun to take off without permission, and the other half blaming Pan Am for not clearing the runway. I always thought the controller had some level of responsibility for not shutting down operations, but he wasn’t used to this kind of traffic so he did things like tell Pan Am to make a sharp left they couldn’t make. I hope they found the terrorists that caused the diversion and charged them with 550 counts of 1st degree murder. What a horrible way to go.

[@darrinsiberia]

@@bwktlcn does anybody blame ATC for losing control of traffic on THEIR runway. A simple clarification to Pan Am would have saved 100's of lives "PAN AM REPORT YOUR POSITION ARE YOU ON THE RUNWAY." And then ATC could espressly tell KLM "KLM YOU DO NOT HAVE CLEARANCE HOLD YOUR POSITION I DO NOT KNOW WHERE PAN AM IS." Bam done. ATC IS AT FAULT.

[@snapgoesthepeanut3906]

@@darrinsiberia they did. They told KLM to hold their position but the captain just ignored this (or supposedly 'couldn't hear it') and took off. This is almost 100% the captain of KLM's flaut.

[@felicialartey8865]

Yes Kofa, Hé should have ask that. Because of they selffisness and not obeying everbody on the plane dies

[@floraposteschild4184]

@@bwktlcn I don't see how it can be blamed on the terrorists, except in the most general sense. If the usual airport had been closed for any other reason that day, it would have happened just the same. Better to blame the inadequate facilities and procedures, unclear communication, and poor visibility -- it'll save more lives in the long run.

[@dhruvildesai6911]

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

[@noc621]

Lol right

[@harizahaliah5826]

One of the passengers, chose not to re-board because she lived on Tenerife and thought it impractical to fly to Gran Canaria only to return to Tenerife the next day. She was therefore not on the KLM plane when the accident happened, and would be the only survivor of those who flew from Amsterdam to Tenerife on Flight 4805. So yes, it is the real Final Destination 😱

[@catscanhavelittleasalami]

When the radio didn't work properly so they only heard "ok" i was like dang, fate really wanted them dead.

[@enosh71]

@@harizahaliah5826 so did death follow her later on? 😵

[@ginnykang943]

Fun fact: Final Destination was based on an actual plane crash. Obviously, not the whole Death-finishes-the-job-on-its-list-one-by-one part, but the cause of the crash itself. Someone made a documentary using clips from the film here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpPRqmuOo6acnLs

[@JomerTB]

I know this is a recreation of a past event but a part of me still wants to believe that they're able to avoid the disaster while watching the video.

[@franrbrown]

In an ideal sense it was totally avoidable. But in the real world, many people cannot accept that even highly qualified professionals may make mistakes that are not, practically speaking, within conscious control. To me, that, and not ego or arrogance, is the key takeaway from this.

[@eatmypanart]

I wasn't alive during that year but me and my family live near the airport They say it smelled like roasted chicken from far away... This airport is situated in a valley with high humidity because there used to be a lagoon ("laguna", enhance the name of the city: la laguna) so fog gets REALLY really bad when it appears, worst that we could even see in this video Anyway, the smell of burning...human flesh... Could be smelled through all the valley/city. I didn't experience it, but I could say it was the most horrific thing to experience around here Rip those innocent souls

[@Poetikaliz]

I get that too it is called wishful thinking I guess

[@ronaldpokatiloff5704]

This accident may happen many times because our universe comes from a computer program as verified by DNA CODE..

[@MsFrancescaF]

I feel exactly the same.

[@10191927]

I can’t imagine being on the runway and out of the fog you see you’re headed directly for another plane, the absolute terror they must’ve felt at that moment.

[@carollucey111]

At least the passengers had no idea, God love them 😞

[@MusicianIsaac]

@@carollucey111always best to die at peace rather than fear

[@5calambres]

It just makes me angry when i see that some people even in a profession as a pilot does not take communication as the most important thing in security.

[@darrinsiberia]

so many human problems are just communication breakdowns it's crazy we don't value COMMUNICATION more seriously

[@raybrown1725]

@@darrinsiberia tldr

[@nenehwbhhbababslakammzm1764]

He didn’t ask for clearance at all he just took off

[@alexchristopher221]

And he was the chief flight instructor for KLM. I hope he didn't recommend this.

[@Bregott07]

Sounds like FSX Multiplayer.

[@nenehwbhhbababslakammzm1764]

Alex Lielbardis lol yea xD

[@nenehwbhhbababslakammzm1764]

Dandmore it does :/

[@nicolemillner4840]

He asked he didn’t receive clearance

[@kennyc388]

I started flying when I was 12. I'm 74 now. I don't fly anymore. This was a horrible mess that could have been avoided for sure. RIP to those souls that perished.

[@DafterBeats]

Wait you are 74?

[@joshstidioz6409]

@@DafterBeats started flying at 12?

[@kokoslegend4850]

As a passenger?

[@TheJingles007]

you old

[@bobby1970]

@@kokoslegend4850 , I'm sure that's what he meant (flying as a passenger), but you never know? Maybe he was illegally flying a private plane (such as a Cessna 172) back in his early days.

[@jeffreyhall2136]

At the time of this crash, I was a student X-ray Tech working at Walson Army Hospital in Ft Dix, NJ. I was given a portable X-Ray request for two patients. I took my portable X-ray machine and went upstairs to the patients. There I met an elderly couple that were survivors of this crash. Very humble folks. Happy they survived.

[@aayushsrivastava9569]

KLM captain should have taken the engineer seriously. Many times F.O or engineer informs captain of a mistake but many people have an ego complex

[@MaiiOrduna]

Right?? The F.O. and engineer aren't there just to look pretty. There's a reason we require more than one person in the cockpit. Smh

[@lifesucks4950]

i cannot even imagine what were going on the victims last minutes. this was long time ago

[@saveyourbacon6164]

The KLM Captain was desperate to get off the ground before the flight time would have resulted in the crew's duty hours being exceeded. If that happened and he went ahead with the flight, he expected he would be cashiered. If he didn't go ahead with the flight, KLM would have to pay the full cost of hotel accomodation overnight. This was a huge factor in his thinking. A safety regulation was thus a big factor in causing the world's worst aviation disaster.

[@wanderingcog2119]

Your recreations of these accidents is so touching. The editing is so wel done, the music, everything. Makes me cry

[@patriciajohnson256]

I totally agree! there are competitive channels, but i have come to the conclusion that the Flight channel is the most professional and informative and i will continue to watch and learn about airplane disasters and how they happened!

[@2lazy2date]

This is so true.

[@DEI-HIRE]

pussy

[@madhavanramesan4770]

@@DEI-HIRE lmao

[@MsTinkerbelle87]

@@DEI-HIRE asshole

[@chinmayanagar3240]

As stupid as the KLM pilot was to misinterpret the "Papa Beacon" clearance as takeoff clearance, I think the ATC was equally stupid to let two jets on the tarmac at the same time.

[@namk20hvhc]

Yup, ATC should let the Pan Am stay on Taxiway and wait.

[@r.s.nowrin6243]

so true

[@robertomingo9822]

@@namk20hvhc for real, that's much simpler and more logical.

[@annassyaroni]

@Rafael Enriquez such a long explanation... but for the shake of Time efficiency, the atc risked two biggest air plane in one runway (including 500+ Passengers on board)

[@drKSully]

Yeah, should've had them hold short until runway was clear

[@chaschk2]

RIP Marilyn Luker. You’re a hero.

[@Saif_Hakami]

sad moment

[@kokonana4086]

The irony here is that the worst accident in aviation history happened to be on the runway (land/ground), not in the air. RIP those who lost their lives on that very tragic day. so sad.

[@nazirali6937]

🎷

[@phizzler5051]

not rewlly ironic. the most dangerous situations on a plane are during takeoff and landing. both of which happen on or near the ground

[@AmsterdamagedHQ]

It's only "ironic" if you're using the Alanis Morissette definition.

[@Nazihakhairilanuar]

munu numu Not only this..check out the mid air collision Bashkirian Airlines flight 2937 and DHL Cargo flight 611 -Non survivors. There are many more cases on mid air collisions. It’s really sad to watch all of it.

[@danboon9831]

LOL, good one! "Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?" Um, not really Alanis. Highly unfortunate, yes. Unlucky as hell? Absolutely. Ironic? No. Speaking only about the point made about the song here. Not piling on the poster.@@AmsterdamagedHQ

[@ricksaburai]

I noticed two small inconsistencies in this video. First, The PAN 747 crew was unsure of which exit to take, but they hadn't reached exit 4 at the time of the collision. They were somewhere between e3 and e4. They were indeed turning, but only in response to sighting the other plane, and towards the grass between the taxiway and the runway. Second, when the KLM captain spotted the other 747, he attempted a premature take-off. It wasn't a head-on collision: the cockpit and front landing gear went over the PAN plane, but the engines, lower fuselage, wings and rear landing gear struck. They were past v1, so impossible to brake in time. The captain applied full power and indeed managed to get the plane off the ground despite a long and hard tailstrike, but still crashed against the PAN plane at 140 knots. Other than that, fantastic video. Breaks my heart how it could've been avoided entirely.

[@yourbodyis75waterandimthir44]

Do you think the number of deaths would be lower if the KLM captain decided to break and take a very sharp turn away from the PAN airplane?

[@ricksaburai]

@@yourbodyis75waterandimthir44 no. First, they were too close to turn without wings. Landing gear doesn't provide enough friction nor could handle a 747's center of gravity. A sharp turn over v1 still on the ground would place the strain entirely on the rudder, at best not changing direction significantly and at worst rolling the plane over the wing opposite to the direction of turning, most likely destroying it and sending the plane careening sideways directly into the other plane (thus likely killing everyone on board both planes). Sadly not much could've been done other than the KLM waiting for proper clearance.

[@paulsmith843]

The K L M Captain is/was a fine example of what happens in aviation when you think you know it all coupled with big headed arrogance!

[@Reji2810]

yes he was arrogant and big headed but KLM's policy was also a contributing factor in this accident. KLM had this strict rule of on time arrival, the crew was already behind schedule due to the re-routing and if they reached late in Amsterdam, his licence would've been revoked, hence the reason he decided to refuel at teneriffe only and all the hurrying through. Also his time as a flight instructor didn't help either, as his actual flight hours decreased and worked more in simulators where there's no talking to the ATC or anything.

[@Gizziiusa]

@@Reji2810 i call BS on that. how can a pilots license be revoked when its obvious its conditions outside his control ? even if what you say is true, then that would be a "field day" for predatory lawyers seeing an obvious flaw in KLMs policy.

[@Gizziiusa]

I agree, but i also think 3 other consideration are at play here too. 1) the tower didnt have decent English speaking ATCs', thus can and does cause errors in communication. [i.e. "takeoff"] 2) the faulty [be it normal or otherwise] communications -[heterodyne] 3) ...and the most important in my opinion. major loss of visibility due to fog. if there was no fog, both planes would have easily been able to see one another. the error in judgement by the KLM chief pilot to be "more cautious" given the following 3 circumstances. he wasnt, which led to the disaster, including his own death.

[@Reji2810]

@@Gizziiusa that is where the KLM captain's gamble backfired, since it was unknown how long it would take the canary island airport to reopen, the KLM ordered to refuel in order to save time but shortly after, news came that canary island airport had reopened, so he wasted extra 45 mins in tarmac refueling, he had about 1 and a half hr to reach canary, exchange passengers and set course for Amsterdam, it would have been touch and go for the KLM, and KLM's policy was recently updated at the time, any aircraft delaying more than its estimated time period (all possible scenario's considered), the captain of aircraft had the risk of getting his license revoked. Also this was the captain's 1st flight in 3 months. Though it was natural for him to be cocky and arrogant, he was one of KLM's star pilot, he was the face of KLM.

[@springbok4015]

He was a asshole for sure.

[@Aerolandaircraft]

It took the deadliest plane crash in history to make aviation a little bit safer. In aviation, safety is written in spilt blood, and every time we board a plane, our fate rests in not just the pilot and atc, but those that perished in these sorts of accidents. R.I.P.

[@namelessrocker12]

In all seriousness though, for someone like me who has 0 background in aviation, you paint a very vivid and interesting picture of these incredibly fascinating incidents. Bravo

[@lukeanthony3609]

There seems to be a real occurring theme in a lot of these crashes.......egotistical pilots

[@cchris874]

But a lot of that is pure myth. It's really just speculation in this case.

[@Mark-pp7jy]

"Recurring".

[@cutelittledoll]

Same in healthcare. Egotistical surgeons, doctors, consultants etc

[@ifreakinlovepop]

@@cchris874 nope. All too real. That is why in this day & age CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT is very important in aviation. That means no matter what your role or job is, your opinion & your voice matters. Just because you are the captain doesn’t mean you get to turn down your crew’s input.

[@cchris874]

@@ifreakinlovepop It may be all too real, but the evidence of an egotistical pilot here is limited to two brief comments. Ironically, he had just attended a conference on the newly emerging CRM philosophy for KLM. Whatever the reality, there's really only speculation that his ego caused the crash.

[@IESpotter]

I love KLM, my favorite airline. But I cannot be more saddened by the captains behavior, to think, this person is the chief flying instructor for them. And he says "as long as I am in command I make the decisions" that line helped cause one the worst crashes in aviation history.

[@cchris874]

Perhaps. But that line as I recall was in regard to the refuelling decision, which was completely justified on safety grounds.

[@cchris874]

@asdf Both are true. He wanted to save time. And the operational decision to refuel was not a safety issue. If it was, I challenge you to name a regulation that states otherwise.

[@cchris874]

@A S It's always had a reputation for safety and reliability. But sometimes in the 1980s its service standards went down. By most accounts it's very ordinary compared to Lufthansa or Emirates, for example. Its earlier marriage with Northwest seemed logical: two mediocre airlines became one mediocre partnership. Tenerife is irrelevant. How many airlines of its size can claim just one major crash in its entire history of jet operations?

[@Tarheel13]

A S it is. I would have no problem flying it.

[@camlacasse3760]

I flew many years ago and we had WW2 Captains who were much like the KLM Captain, but even if the runway was too short, they somehow always managed to stop, or do the impossible.

[@garethmurtagh]

The CVR from the KLM is heartbreaking to read, the F/O and the Engineer clearly knew something wasn’t right. I have this awful image of them nervously looking at each other begging the other to countermand the Captain. One of the lasting impacts of this tragedy was the introduction of Cockpit Resource Management to prevent junior officers being overawed by the Captain

[@darrinsiberia]

sad it takes DEATH to make COMMON SENSE improvements. people are so blindsided by money and profits at all costs. it's f'ing unbelievable.

[@garethmurtagh]

@@darrinsiberia “Tombstone Engineering” is what it’s known as 😕

[@rp7r54]

@@garethmurtagh Yes

[@amodksrivastava]

A minute condolence for those 583 souls :(

[@玉山航輝]

m(__)mm(__)m

[@笑-r6e]

@Aqil Hadif its a kaomoji

[@笑-r6e]

@Aqil Hadif yes^^

[@ravenheart369]

Everything were managed by the hands of death angel 1-bomb in the first airport 2-KLM pilot who ordered tower to refuel his plane 3-blocked way by KLM that PAN AM couldn't drive to taxiway and takeoff 4-over self-confident KLM pilot 5-corrupted radio transmission 6-weather condition 7-fatigue of the pilots 8-heavy KLM plane R.I.P those people

[@Hugh_Amungus]

Final Destination tier shit right there

[@prakashbaskar4382]

True

[@xbqchm]

Yup, this shit sandwich had at least 8 slices of Swiss cheese in it.

[@piratesswoop725]

Add in that the KLM passengers were allowed to deplane, and when it was time to reboard, there was a delay because two children had wandered off and their parents could not find them. This further delayed things, and since they sat for that much longer, Veldhuyzen van Zanten made the choice to refuel in Tenerife.

[@lforleee2004]

*taxi to the taxiway and backtrack to takeoff. YOU DON'T DRIVE PLANES

[@aihara2799]

Los Rodeos ATC: Okay KLM, you need to wait for confirmation before you take of- Jacob Van Zanten: Aircraft goes BRRRRRRRR

[@bubblegumcrush5948]

My cousin's husband had died in this crash😭 . She was 7 months pregnant. Her husband was a American citizen.My cousin was literally heartbroken and sad. Now she is fine and has a healthy baby boy , which resembles her husband . Now she lives with us in Japan. R.I.P 🙏 (Sorry for my english, I am japanese and not so good at english)

[@AndreAndFriends]

Your English is very good!!!

[@kevvere8604]

your English is better than my Japanese, 👍

[@tubehound69]

44 years later and it's still a baby?

[@mohammedhamdi7966]

@@tubehound69 facts lmao she cheated

[@raptorhacker599]

@@tubehound69 he did say he has bad English

[@mikipav1064]

I thought i knew pretty much everything about this accident but thanks to you i learned that the Pan Am 747 was the very first 747 that entered commercial service. That’s sad that the first queen of the skies found her end in the worst accident of aviation history.

[@ooc_project]

The first Jumbo Jet (nickname "City of Everett", N7470) was decommissioned in 1975 and was handed over to the Museum of Flight, which is located at King County International Airport (Boeing Field) in Seattle. Next to the N7470, you can admire one of the four outside Europe Concorde (British Airways G-BOAG), prototype of Boeing 737, presidential VC-137B, or Lockheed 10-E - a replica of the plane in which Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific.

[@V1Fleetz]

@@ooc_project he's talking about the first 747 brought to *commercial service*

[@nicolemillner4840]

I know if the klm captain had a brain the pan am plane would live a happy life in a musiem

[@mikipav1064]

@@V1Fleetz Thank you for your ability to read properly, unlike Alan Ravenhurst... and thank you for explaining it again. :)

[@mikipav1064]

@A S Absolutely nothing about my comment, this video or the accident itself has any parallels to the Titanic disaster. What are you talking about? What is up with this comment section? One can't read properly and another one (you) makes statements that make zero sense... Is this comment section drunk or something?

[@JNDlego57]

Good video, but just a few minor things. The KLM captain ordered his plane be refueled before the tower advised that the other airport had reopened. Otherwise, the KLM captain would have surely taken off immediately. He and his crew were close to not being able to legally fly back within their duty time. So the captain was pushing very hard to get moving as soon as possible. It explains his attitute towards his fellow crew members. Also, the captain was the Chieft Training Officer at KLM. He was pretty much the superstar of the airline, his F/O and F/E weren’t gonna risk trying to go over his head (this is an example of poor Crew Resource Management) The Pan Am crew knew exactly which exit to take, the CVR proved they understood the controller’s “One, Two, Three.” The reason they went to C4 was because taking C3 would have required the Pan Am crew to make two 148 degree turns. Physically impossible in a 747. C4 only required two 36 degree (it might have been 47) turns. Much much easier for the 747. The KLM crew took on 55 tons of fuel. The aircraft was filled to the rim. Had the plane not had this much fuel on board, the KLM plane would have been light enough to lift off the runway and clear the Pan Am plane. This is just one of the many links in the chain of this accident. But what’s most saddening about this, is that a lot of people survived the initial collision. A lot of people who did die were killed from smoke inhalation and hypoxia. When a fire that big (55 tons of Jet A) burns, it takes all the oxygen from the air, leaving none for the passengers.

[@cchris874]

A few things to add: I believe I read it turned out the KLM was not given the go ahead until the refueling was nearly finished. Hi alleged arrogant attitude is a media invention. It may or may not be true the co-pilot wouldn't risk questioning the captain, as he felt no problem doing it the first time around. Van Zanten was also a pioneer in what we know know as Crew Resource management, and he encouraged his fellow crew to call him by his first name. According to a mutual colleague, the co-pilot was not one to be bossed around. The Pan Am only knew for sure that they were to take the third exit. But they remained unsure which one was number 3; or if the ATC meant third one from their current position. Minor point but it turns out a 747 could have made the turn, as they were able to show later. Yes, no doubt probably no one on KLM died from the impact. Gruesome to imagine being in there. cheers

[@echoed52]

cchris874 perfect example of hind sight being 20/20. Taking c3 exit that requires two 145 degree turns for the Pan Am aircraft just wasn’t an intuitive choice for a massive aircraft like 747.

[@thefacelessmen2101]

No matter how you care to look at it he rolled without clearance, I put this down to fatigue.

[@natalie7651]

@@cchris874 Actually, from the CVR, his attitude is very apparent, impatient, fatigued, annoyed and feeling superior to everyone around him.

[@cchris874]

@@natalie7651 I don't think you heard the actual CVR, you're talking about the recreated one on these docudramas. There's poetic license and you can't use that to judge the real thing. I think the only response that was verifiably rude was his reply to Pan Am that it would take 35 minutes to refuel.

[@fob1xxl]

My friend Beau Moss was on that Pan Am flight. He had just celebrated his 30th birthday. He worked for the Royal Cruise Line they were going to go on. He had a 1 year old son. Today, my friend would have been 73. Such a loss, especially for his son. I think of him often. I think of all those who lost their lives on what was to become the worst Air disaster in history. May they all Rest In Peace.

[@franrbrown]

Tragedy - it seems to just be part of life. Thank you for sharing.

[@XX-yz6hu]

My late father in law was in the Guardia Civil and had to help clear the wreckage, my ex husband was aged 2 at the time, he said that his father never spoke of this or the horrors that he must have witnessed 😥

[@deepee918]

Was about to cheat by scrolling down to the comments to find the crash time stamp. But it randomly stopped at the uploader's comment saying how much time it took them to make and I can appreciate that so I will watch the whole thing!

[@shaikdilshadaman5656]

aman birthday

[@durimmetaliaj8075]

Ciao

[@bleedinglove1965]

lol me too

[@laconicvoyage6557]

I did exactly the same, and also saw your comment... I'm always so surprised that many people think the same way, and you find out in KZbin.

[@ItsStarlett]

Dee Pee Ipjphuugoydwougydeugydegyyedgydegyuihswipjswpogiuijosipuw giaipgioppgithtuugu owas uipojwjiwoij Wwmlkwmk Wow mL, Iopooopeouhre iojwdeopjideiodepioojidjeijoiswjoijioweujiqiewopjiswskjbwojubijjse

[@annnailator1957]

My dad that day was at tenerife airport but was not on the klm nor pan am but he heard a huge explosion and a fire immediately

[@yahnsjjbnxc5247]

Hola

[@KingDevilCharger]

Glad your dad wasn't on either plane

[@felypelopes19]

Certainly a tragic day.

[@stressocean.-.6041]

If the pilots just waited 3 minutes none of that could’ve happened

[@anonym8299]

Annnailator your das was there???? Wow!!!! Is he still Alive? Does he maybe knows someone which was there?

[@Tomeletto]

The moment the first officer of The KLM flight said V1 makes it worst V1 - The Speed where you are unable to abort the takeoff without going off the runway

[@wecomeinpeace5082]

A couple seconds away from "Rotate".

[@high_on_nightmares]

@omega omelette Actually, V1 is decision time. You either have to take off or abort. V2 is when it's too late. Either take off or crash

[@TristanVash38]

my heart sank when he said V1

[@a.z9086]

Intoxicus Rex isn’t V2 the emergency return speed like if bird strike?

[@a.z9086]

Intoxicus Rex isn’t V2 the emergency return speed like if bird strike?

[@joblessbum7]

There is an hour long documentary about this crash and it talks with the co pilot of pan am and some other survivors. The KLM pilot was clearly at fault. Its definitely worth watching.

[@mayrakopjansen2814]

Colleagues of mine died in this crash R.I.P

[@susanhamptonva4203]

I'm very sorry for your loss.

[@speen9430]

how old are you then? you must be 60

[@mayrakopjansen2814]

@@speen9430 67

[@speen9430]

@@mayrakopjansen2814 thanks for the respons, hope your colleagues rest in peace or had a quick recovery

[@merlingt1]

Sheer pilot arrogance. Radio problems is a bs excuse, if I’m doing, request clarification.

[@andersonduggar6764]

The radio "problem" was that at that time the radios were just one way, if someone talked at same time, the signals would block each other so in the moment that the tower said "ok... something" and the pan am talked the same time, the KTM just received the "OK", and about the KTM pilot the reason why he wanted to take off so bad is because later on was discovered that KTM at the time punished the pilots that pass the operational time, of course, it doesn't justify the pilots decision. Another interesting fact is that that this pilot was very respected in the company and even appeared in magazines for KTM.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

@@andersonduggar6764 I think you mean KLM, and it's often called "stepping on" someone on another channel. But YEAH, you ask for a repeat if you don't hear clearly. It happens so often, it would hardly be an ego bruising thing. What unnerved me is he's ready to go before having clearance. Is he on coke or something? Because nobody sane and sober does that.

[@Taharkah]

@merlingt1 , FACTS... And remain at a standstill until you get FULL confirmation that runway is clear for takeoff. There is a reason Patience is called a VIRTUE!!! The captain did have a moment to know he made a major blunder of a decision at the end...

[@MikeNaples]

@@Taharkah We've all had them to lesser degrees but this was definitely one of those "Fuck Me" moments.

[@reubensaltmarsh2154]

If the KLM captain didn’t decide to refuel there, maybe it could have been avoided.

[@indege5163]

Yup lighter weight

[@nicolemillner4840]

Mor fuel mor fire if he didnt refuel there would have been more survivors

[@andrefabri6191]

It's crazy how every detail contributes to the history. Like take away the fact that a terrorist bombed the original airport that they were going and no accident would have happened.

[@MusicianIsaac]

No that’s not what he means it’s that the KLM would have been able to rotate off the runway faster due to weight difference

[@spongebubatz]

André Fabri this accident is just a crazy chain of unfortunate details! Here are some different scenarios that unfortunately didn‘t happen: -The Pan Am flight was delayed. What if it wasn’t and arrived on Tenerife before the KLM? -What if they were parked different? -What if the message that Gran Canaria Airport is reopened again was send and reached them earlier and the KLM plane wasn’t refueled? (Better weather, shorter take off distance) -What if the Pilots or the ATC just said "this is quite a small airport for 747s and the weather is bad! The KLM Flight will taxi and take off first and the Pan Am Flight is waiting on the ramp before doing the same!"? Just some thoughts I had...

[@kylepproductions]

My moms boss apparently bought tickets for his parents to go on a dream vacation. They were on this flight and both died. Apparently he still regrets it to this day:(

[@jacktheripper5661]

He definitely sent them on a vacation alright

[@Somewhereinthisuniverse]

Stop lying

[@youjustgotrickrolleddummy8878]

@@Somewhereinthisuniverse you will never know if this real or not, it's a comment on KZbin dude

[@Somewhereinthisuniverse]

@@youjustgotrickrolleddummy8878 stfu weeb

[@neostarcatcher]

@@Somewhereinthisuniverse how are they a weeb

[@joestanley250]

Was really sad to hear Robert Bragg (the Pan Am co-pilot) died recently. RIP Sir

[@sudharsanr4798]

Joe Stanley

[@neginchinikar7431]

R.I.P Robert Bragg ?-2019

[@iknojr]

Joe Stanley 1937-2017

[@oscarembola9486]

Joe Stanley rip 😢😢😢

[@maryescobar9990]

Nohhsgdksgsgsjkzzzkkdgd la gyksgshsuld UGT kdgd ir tirar he vi bs vy rrhh ve si me gustaría recibir de dj he yo iré yo jajaja he HH rrhh ve el iré if muy ja ja ja jaja ha la ja ja ja kekfhfkhfuz MV a JK cuFzfskd NY se Jorge

[@Converyismineee]

Had the Captain of the KLM listen to his FO when told to refuel to the port of destination instead, maybe this had not happened. Sad for the lost lives.

[@TOG285]

Isn't it sad how one person hurrying up and being arrogant killed hundreds?

[@tommypetraglia4688]

@@TOG285 It's like when Capt. -Viktor Tupolev- Jacob V. of -the Soviet sub the Konovalov- KLM 4805 says: "We're -going to kill a friend, Yvgeni- bound for Gran Canaria. We're going to -kill Ramius- Gran Canaria ..." But when really: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nn-6c6aNns2MoK8

[@gme213la2]

a complete dummy he could've take a coffe while refueling instead this sadness.

[@cayden2744]

@@TOG285 He wasn't being arrogant, almost 43 years and you still believe in this story? It was more the Pan Am crew fault, instead of c3, they go to c4 Van Zaten asked to the copilot to talk to ATC for takeoff cleareance, the copilot understood wrong and said to the pilot to takeoff

[@NidgeOSullivan]

What I can't understand is surely he'd be too heavy to land at Las Palmas it's only a 20 min flight.

[@Erik-ri7ql]

I just can't imagine the horror that the passengers of the PanAm aircraft felt when they saw the huge KLM getting closer and closer to them and there was nothing they could do to escape 😔😨

[@5thdimension625]

I doubt they saw anything. The pilots did, but not likely the passengers

[@scperera913]

I read [in a book] that they tried to turn to get off the runway to get out of the KLM's way. The planes apparently collided at an angle, not head on. They tried.

[@Ravaniscool]

@@scperera913 Yes, that's true! As soon as the pilots on the Pan Am realized what was happening they tried to get out of the way but it was too late! This is something one can never ever forget, just terrible to say the least!

[@forman208]

Tbf with all that fog I honestly doubt they even saw it until the very last second

[@bradmccullough8240]

I watched another video of this and it told the story of a girl that was on the KLM flight didn't reboard but chose instead to visit her boyfriend that lived on the island. A decision that probably saved her life. I hope she was grateful to be alive afterwards.

[@ronaldpokatiloff5704]

Its possible that nobody died since our universe comes from a computer program.

[@pratyushsharmaIbanez]

Nothing can be worse than this. 1)Rotten communication system. 2)An egoistic captain of the KLM. 3)Absolute idiots the ATC When visibilty is so low they should have strictly put a longer time gap for each aircraft. The idiot ATC should have focussed on the take off of KLM only. Precious lives shouldn't have been risked at the hands of a few idiots. Paxes that fateful day were destined to die.Each faulty step started happening one after another.It's as if death was programmed that day.Terrible.Rest in peace.

[@thamwaikeong5885]

EXACTLY ! What you said in your third point, was exactly what I pointed out too, in older videos on this accident years ago, but many ill - informed idiots flamed me. This was an antique, hopelessly equipped small airport : 1) Without ground radar. 2) With only ONE main runway for landing, taking off and taxying .

[@thamwaikeong5885]

Now, if only that idiotic air traffic controller had the common sense to allow just a gap of a mere TWENTY minutes between the takeoff of these two giant, heavily laden airliners, the accident would have been totally avoided. In other words, the fault lay completely with the dumb controller . The KLM pilot may have been impatient, but this would have not have not have affected anything with a 20 minute delay, long after he or the Pan Am plane had taken off.

[@sanalkjohn]

Well

[@pulsar01z]

4) Pam AM taking exit C4 instead of C3.

[@ivorybilled8983]

Only one plane should be allowed to move at a time on a small airport and dense fog. Control tower mostly to blame here.

[@SimonGruberSays]

Jesus, 13:34 I can't image how both crews felt. Even watching this simulation is terrible. Seeing the other suddenly emerge from the fog. At this moment, there was literally nothing either could do, all six of those men knew that the inevitable was about to happen. RIP all who lost their life.

[@carolhutchinson7763]

SimonGruberSays: There's a video where the Pan Am co-pilot (later promoted to captain) walks around a 747 telling exactly what it was like in that plane. One of the other pilots died an early death; I heard (but don't know for sure) he got lung cancer after being trapped inside breathing toxic burning insulation, seat stuffing, carpets, paint etc.

[@priyankapandey8157]

🙏May all 583 dead passenger's soul rest in peace☮️

[@davidanthony410]

Two of my cousins died on. Pan AM THEY WERE ONLY 19 22 REST IN PEACE KATIE AND PAULA

[@lyricalcat27]

May they all Rest in Peace.

[@TheJingles007]

69 likes... nice

[@TheTanzanitepure]

Let me tell you sister no soul will rest in peace if the soul of non Muslim , only Muslims if they follow true Islam will be in peace and those Muslims who disobey Allah command's will be punish for certain time and than they will enter paradise. You are still alive do research about Islam, it's the religion of Allah through all his prophets from first prophet Adam P.B.U.H to the last messenger prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. Don't listen to the West propaganda which put Islam in a bad shape. And if you have any questions ask me I will help you in answers . Islam means your submission to Allah

[@Aditya-hh5gz]

@@TheTanzanitepure boohoo with your allah

[@laffingdog]

I remember reading about this in Time magazine years ago. 15 year old me was absolutely horrified by what those poor people went through. Especially the survivers

[@viniciusm8363]

10:43 - When this song starts playing, you know the worst is about to come. Flying is such an amazing thing. Hope no flights I'll take will ever be on this channel. ✈✈✈

[@faisj]

Thank you The Flight Channel! As a Dutch student pilot this touches me deep. There is so much to learn from this incident. I know this is a msg to “the internet” but; as a (student) pilot I promise to always study and become the best pilot I can be. (And won’t ever stop studying and improving myself in any way I can for the safety of my passengers and myself)

[@crisbrackett2067]

Take care of your heart too. Broken people can be highly educated. We have to find balance inside to continue to prosper as we age. Please be mindful of this.

[@BadWebDiver]

Keep thinking that and you will go far in your career sir.

[@farmlifetv1557]

love u

[@diamonddog257]

That is why the Dutch are called 'cheese-heads' now bugger off

[@DiegoCustomMarineUpholstery]

dumnass

[@phoenixfloof9799]

You should have included the words of the pan am copilot as he saw the Klm approaching: That son of a b*ch is coming right at us Edit: thanks for the likes

[@mynameisopulence]

Phoenix 990 or “Goddamn, that son-of-a-bitch is a comin’!”

[@jamesaviation2240]

Phoenix 990 UH THERE ARE PROBABLY CILDREN WATCHING THIS

[@phoenixfloof9799]

IAteMyShoes Studios Uh that’s why I censored this. And that son of a b* can be accepted I think. Also why would a child thats not allowed to swear what a plane crash without animations. When so was like 6 years old I was only interested in the crash sequence.

[@lanceviacrucis5170]

@@phoenixfloof9799 im 12 yrl and im an aviation ethusiast

[@lanceviacrucis5170]

@@phoenixfloof9799 i know that's far from six but im still considered to be a child

[@OhanaLulu]

The visuals in this are AMAZING! I’m obsessed with plane crashes but didn’t always have a clear understanding of what happened here. Thank you so much!

[@javianjohnson8746]

Wow. You see I KNEW about this accident and how horrific it was, but what I did NOT know about was the backstory. The diversion. The refueling. The complete failure of ATC to not know if the PAN AM plane got off the runway yet. Thank you so much for this video. I can only IMAGINE how long it took to research, act it out in the simulator, and put the words in the video. 10/10 production.

[@stressocean.-.6041]

Javian Johnson the ATC people were listening to football

[@piratesswoop725]

Also doesn't mention that two children from the KLM ran off to play and they couldn't take off because the parents had to go looking for them. That further delayed things. It's like the Swiss Cheese brain theory, normally one or two things would just be a minor inconvinience, but because all of these things lined up perfectly, the bomb at Gran Canarias, the decision to divert the planes to Las Palmas, the KLM passengers being allowed to deplane, Veldhuyzen van Zanten insisting they refuel, the rain and fog rolling in to reduce visibility, the missing children, the one foot distance that prepvented the Pam Am from being able to pass the refueling KLM, ATC controllers being half preoccupied with a football match, the confusion with the Pam Am about where to turn, the KLM captain's confusion because he had previously spent several months training KLM pilots in a simulator and had grown accustom to working without needing to get ATC clearance due to the simulation, the heterodyne preventing communication from the Pam Am and interrupting the communication from ATC to the KLM, Veldhuyzen van Zanten's seniority making his first officer hesistant to contradict him. So much went wrong with this crash.

[@candulagirl7817]

@@piratesswoop725 Thank you piratesswoop for your interesting, detailed narrative. Looking forward to any future in depth comments.

[@leaderbad1548]

@@piratesswoop725 that was a very well detailed narrative

[@matzmn]

It normally takes a few things/factors to go wrong before any any airlines crash. In this one there were plenty of them.

[@maaykevanderwel]

I just went to tenerife with klm- Thank god i didnt see this before the flight

[@global.projects]

KLM shouldn't have moved after lining up until he knew exactly where Pan Am was. Quite simple really and easily avoidable.

[@districtline]

This crash is truly the "Perfect Storm" of all Perfect Storms. If any one link in the chain of events had cracked, this would not have happened at all.

[@rvk6959]

Really feel sorry for those who lost their lives due to air control inconvenience

[@ron3557]

No that was klm captain fault because he started takeoff without atc clearcance

[@rvk6959]

@@ron3557 so is it the KLM pilot's fault,that led to such a worst disaster

[@ron3557]

@@rvk6959 yes. Atc did not give him clearcance to takeoff

[@tommypetraglia4688]

@@ron3557 Yea, his co-pilot be like:. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nn-6c6aNns2MoK8

[@Tarheel13]

What is air control inconvenience?

[@southernpennsyrailfan8579]

my dad remembers when this happened. and its a day he will never forget.

[@tommyhemlock7915]

There’s a good full length documentary on this lurking somewhere on You Tube, as well as the Seconds From Disaster episode, both of which tell the story more fully thanks to not having time constraints to worry about. The ultimate blame lies with the KLM pilot, but other factors not mentioned in this video contributed.

[@roscianyt]

It is 100% the pilot's fault.

[@Jonny94669]

Flown into Tenerife North many times. The weather really can change from perfect visibility to completely fogged out within 30 seconds.

[@tungstenkid2271]

The airport traffic controllers were a bit sloppy, but the blame must lie with the KLM captain for not double-checking that he really did have takeoff clearance.

[@momentumstocks3493]

A BIT......that's putting it mildly. It was criminal

[@Reji2810]

that disaster changed the wordings of ATCs all around the world, now the controller say "After Departure" for instructions once the aircraft is in the air, and they use the words "Take off" only when they give clearance for it. more than the KLM captain, the company was to be blamed for the pressure they put on their pilots. Revoking a pilot's licence for being late, it's a disaster waiting to happen.

[@vidu8697]

Hhhxfjcjdhdhd bubbly officially

[@kimberleerivera7062]

@@Reji2810 Yes! Exactly my thoughts!

[@varshasharma2923]

I

[@Lisa-xp4xl]

I came across this channel 2 days ago, I cannot stop watching the videos, awesome videos. Please keep making these, it is so sad that airlines cut corners at times for profit. Thanks Lisa

[@guynorth3277]

They make me nervous, which surprises me.

[@santosh18901]

sameee

[@paulfrank4551]

My girlfriend watched these and now she is waiting for a jet to crash down on her big toe. She looks up at the sky ready to run and take cover now.

[@B2BWide]

I usually don't like these sim replays but this one has so many awesome details, explanations and good reasons for the sim SFX that I must applaude for it. You did an amazing job with all the facts and details, just the right amount of explanations and quotations, fine cuts and angles. And the music choice is a big tribute to all victims. Take my bow, @TheFlightChannel you're a pro and this job is a benchmark for your genre! R.I.P. all lost souls of this tragedy.

[@justiceforall5043]

I was in Arlington, Tex. with my boyfriend who was a flying student then. He came home horrified by the accident, even more because he was from Spain and he couldn't believe it that it did happened that way!! It certainly bring me very sad memories every time I see this video. As much as he wanted to became an Airline🛫 commercial pilot, it never worked out for him.!

[@philcolbert7864]

KLM pilot was over-confident, experience made him too arrogant and infallible, when in fact he did almost everything wrong. Refueling made the plane too heavy. The video isn't accurate--the KLM saw the Pan Am much earlier and tried to take off prematurely, causing the tail to hit the ground. He got air born but not high enough to clear the Pan Am. Instead he should have hit the brakes and steered onto the runway. Error after error after error, mostly by the impatient KLM pilot. The Pan Am pilot and traffic controller also make mistakes. The KLM co-pilot almost certainly knew something was wrong but was intimidated by his bosses authority. As I said, the whole thing was a completely needless tragedy

[@iankosher6098]

I agree with your assessment completely. Videos and comments are not idle infotainment: they inform the aviation community. and we are all safer for them.

[@unhandydaddy5117]

I really doubt if hitting the breaks could've stopped the plane from hitting Pan Am.... The collision was imminent... But yes the Captain of KLM was a bit arrogant as he almost took off without a clearance... Couldve been avoided with just a little bit of patience

[@windstorm1000]

'Needless' is key word

[@T-Kev]

phil colbert : agre with you aside from the part where you said that it would be a better idea to hit the breaks and steer off the runway. This isn’t possible as the plane was already at V1 (A speed to fast for the plane to stop during takeoff) so it was simply not possible to break and steer the plane off the runway.

[@thicc800ty]

@@T-Kev yes and therese also Vmcg to

[@ahjeezrick]

Did they not stop to think that putting two 747’s on an active runway at the same time, in heavy fog, would be a bad idea?

[@AnuMessi10]

they never gave any sort of clearance to either , only permissions to taxi and hold

[@nicksoley]

Anurag D. Yadav Exactly. Just because two 747s are on the same runway in bad conditions, doesn’t mean they are both guaranteed to crash in a fiery wreck.

[@JohnMustartPsalm91]

You said it!!!!!!!

[@markgreenaway8666]

Bit insensitive mate

[@BadWebDiver]

They were doing the best they could under the circumstances. It was a smallish airport not made to handle so many heavies.

[@thomasvdbersselaar6402]

Rest in peace to everyone who died on this flight. Though great job on making this video!

[@theflightchannel]

Thomas vd Bersselaar Thank you so much! Glad you appreciated the video

[@adammuhangwa6788]

MyFlig

[@aguedarivas7956]

Nice sentence

[@amaliasestayo1423]

As a person that is watching this in a Boeing 747 road to canary islands, i see this as an absolute win

[@restinpeacekobe2411]

I would of been like “ummm. There’s a lot of fog so just text me when I’m able to go”

[@nitrolight1778]

5:08 *Video cuts* And everyone was safe and sound. I wish tho..

[@-Wreckanize-]

Butterfly effect to the max Bombing at the airport causing the jets to divert KLM Captain request to completely fill the tanks (Making the jet heavier/take off distance longer) Bad weather setting in so no visibility between the jets and the tower. Bad word choice by ATC and Pilots when issuing clearance Radio communications wasn't clear Pan Am missing their runway turn off

[@cchris874]

and -ATC instructs plane onto an active runway and takes no action when they are both facing each other in fog. -Pan Am captain relented after initially stating he wanted to wait for KLM to take off. -heterodyne -controllers listening to climax of soccer match at the moment of KLM take off (possible factor) -lack of CRM at the time What's that, at least 11 factors?

[@Kara3405]

cchris874 Also add that the airport was not equipped with ground radar at the time. Therefore, the controllers could not monitor the positions of the two aircraft.

[@ooc_project]

I do not want to defend Van Zanten, but he was the head of training at KLM, which means that he spent a lot of time on the simulator, where everything was set up for flight, without other obstacles. Maybe he was too focused on flying in perfect conditions? Remember that pilots feel better in the air, where they think they have control over everything.

[@cchris874]

@@ooc_project Yes, it's very possibly a contributing factor. Apparently he was used to giving out clearances in the simulator!

[@wyomingptt]

and ATC at Gran Canaria ordering the PanAM flight to Tenerife (an airport they were unfamiliar with) after they request to circle LPA.

[@Just_Smile-n2w]

91% of all people on both planes died because of the arrogance and impatience of one man. This story will never stop pissing me off.

[@billramsey2337]

I couldn't contemplate in any way shape or form this happening before my eyes.This was a incomprehensible massive tragedy.

[@Taharkah]

@Bill Ramsey Indeed it was, and could have been avoided if a MAN with intelligence and sense realized he is responsible for hundreds of lives and relaxed and STAND DOWN and be patient. His whole entire life culminated in that one disastrous decision!

[@lured8710]

I live in Tenerife and the explosion was heard in the middle of the island, three years later another plane, a Boeing 727 from 'dan air' from Manchester "landed" on a mountain, 146 people died

[@bobby1970]

Hi, I would like to know the airport code where this KLM and Pan AM disaster happened at. I want to visit the airport.

[@George_Shonia]

damn!!! that was a fault of pilot who ordered to refuel ship... if they taked off 35 minute earlier, visibility was a good and that tragedy will not happened.. damn

[@AverageAlien]

wasn't his fault. We could blame his mother for giving birth to him, doesn't mean it's her fault or his fault

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

Its the damn bomb's fault.

[@nenblom]

George Shonia Also, if the Captain of the KLM flight would have waited to actually get clearance from ATC to take off, this tragedy most likely would have been averted. What a prick!

[@caliglory1240]

Average Alien - would you still say that if your father or brother died in that KLM plane.

[@alerey4363]

1tugqaibvom thiabBBQ and klm capt made it worse because with full tanks the fire is way more catastrophic

[@markchalled3976]

Thanks for adding the additional information about this disaster. Always good to learn more about the deadliest accident ever. You missed that the KLM pilot was their master pilot that was featured in their advertisements. Great video. Thanks for all the work.

[@schantive5201]

2k dislikes? People have no hearts😢

[@FoxNewsNewYork]

Maybe the dislikes are those who dislike that fact that so many people were killed and not that they didn't like the video!

[@tayfora]

Dennis Eichler , I thought the same as you, nothing to do with the video but the sad unnecessary loss of lives. Schantive , I thinks kids would watch such videos and kids are prone to dislike sad things, not the video.

[@mithatgul5487]

Schantive seda sayan

[@awesomet8388]

The problem with disliking a video when it’s a well made video is that people won’t watch it if they see just as many dislikes. At least I don’t..

[@112Ishaan]

Schantive People got to die and other got to Born that's live

[@dorisagbese3551]

I sincerely appreciate every Pilot. God bless them and their Families

[@B3Band]

Except that KLM Captain. Fuck him.

[@carver7585]

This is pretty awesome! All the details make it great. Thanks for posting!

[@tee228]

ATC *can't see airplanes on runway* ATC: lets get them ready for takeoff where ever they are

[@posysdogovych2065]

The background caption graphics with what looks like falling snow makes things feel sad and lonely. I imagine the loud explosion, the devastation, the lives taken, and in the aftermath the eerie silence of the falling snow.

[@Sarah.Riedel]

I feel the worst for the Pan Am pilots, they did nothing wrong and probably had no idea what even hit them. The KLM captain was rushed and unprofessional and the ground crew were simply unprepared for heavy traffic. But the Pan Am guys, they did just about everything right. None of this was their fault. I don't think anyone "deserves" to die but I'm relieved the Pan Am cockpit crew survived.

[@MrDulceAgonia]

Actually they did not use exit runaway c3 as instructed by ATC and use c4.

[@AriET_]

C3 exit was an impossible turn for a 747, I guess that's why they didn't use it.

[@felypelopes19]

They could tell to the ATC or to the KLM pilot thus fact.

[@Fandrir]

They were not sure about which exis was the right one, so they probably assumend, that since C3 was an immpossible turn, that the exit was still ahead. Therefore they had no reason to tell the ATC they missed the exit. In defense of the ATC, this airport was not used to heavy planes and he probably didnt know about the turning capibility of a 747.

[@MsMilena125]

He was not unprofessional, he was the most experienced captain in the KLM. The problems was that overconfidence

[@nosokompacreations]

My friend ... My friend ...... Allow me to call you friend. The extraordinary work you have done, so that we all can see in detail these last tragic moments of this terrible accident, has never been done by anyone before. Your video is not only realistic, it is also the most touching with the background music you chose. As I make videos my self, I know how much work you did. Thanks a lot and wish you a Good weekend ! Socrates from Athens

[@theflightchannel]

nosokompacreations Thank you my friend so much for this nice comment!! I really appreciated!! :) Love Greece so much by the way...

[@Ellecram]

What music is this? It's very haunting and fits the story very well.

[@lakshmanb.n.3120]

nosokompacreations Kannada move laganapatheike

[@zareenkhanzareenkhan2052]

nosokompacreations .r

[@qfksspecial7866]

This accident is featured in many north america TV documentaries. If you don't see them on youtube, it's due to copyright. This is probably the only legitimate one on youtube

[@micksf1]

That one guy who knows better then everyone is called: Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten.

[@JordanFreshour]

Rest in hell.