Overview
- KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736, which collided in March 1977 at Tenerife’s Los Rodeos airport, caused 583 deaths and left 61 people alive.
- A bombing at Gran Canaria earlier that day forced both 747s to divert to the smaller Tenerife airport, creating a traffic jam on narrow taxiways with limited parking.
- Thick fog and crossed radio messages set the stage as the KLM captain began takeoff believing he was cleared while the Pan Am jet was still on the runway.
- Past the V1 decision speed, which is the point where pilots must continue the takeoff, the KLM crew could not stop; the jets struck and the KLM’s full fuel load fed a massive fire.
- The Pan Am cockpit voice recorder captured Captain Victor Grubbs shouting “There he is,” followed by frantic commands to turn, and the tragedy later spurred standardized English ATC phrasing and stronger crew resource management that encourages first officers to speak up.