48 years have now passed since the world\u2019s most deadly aviation tragedy unfolded on the Spanish island of Tenerife. Almost half a century on, it is still difficult to fathom just how so many people lost their lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On that fateful day of March 27, 1977, there were 583 fatalities between the KLM Boeing 747<\/a> and the Pan Am Boeing 747 \u2018Clipper Maid of the Seas\u201d. Only 61 survivors somehow escaped the inferno that engulfed the airport runway.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Neither before nor since has there been an aviation disaster that has so profoundly affected so many lives, from those who died to the loved ones they left behind.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n Following the tragedy, investigations were launched to ensure that everything possible was done to prevent an event of this magnitude from ever being repeated.\u00a0<\/p>\n As with so many untimely and unexpected deaths, the accident gave rise to some searching questions about how the devastating event could have been avoided.\u00a0<\/p>\n But perhaps one of the cruelest twists of fate is that neither the 248 people on KLM Flight 4805 nor the 396 on Pan Am Flight 1736 were even meant to be in Tenerife on that day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n On March 26, 1977, the Pan Am Boeing 747 registered N736PA left Los Angeles Airport (LAS) for Spain, with a scheduled re-fuel and crew change at John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in New York.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n As the Pan Am flight made its journey to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a KLM Boeing 747, registered PH-BUF, left Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) on March 27, 1977, for the same final destination.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n At the time of these flights, a terrorist group known as the Canary Islands Independence Movement (CIIM) was attempting to force the Spanish government to cede control of the islands.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n On March 27, 1977, the group planted a bomb in a passenger terminal florist shop in Las Palmas Airport and detonated it, injuring eight bystanders.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n KLM Royal Dutch Airways\u2019 Boeing 747-206B PH-BUF Rijn pic.twitter.com\/ijYGsd5Xvp<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Skies-of-Glory (@violetpilot1) March 29, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Members of the terrorist group then threatened to explode a second bomb. With police fearing the worst, the airport was closed and all flights suspended.\u00a0<\/p>\n Flight crews on both the Pan Am and KLM 747s were told to divert to Los Rodeos Airport, a predecessor of Tenerife North Airport (TFN), to keep all passengers safe and away from the dangers in Gran Canaria.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The two 747s were not the only aircraft that were asked to divert to Tenerife due to the dramatic events that were unfolding in Gran Canaria.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the Spanish accident report<\/a>, once both jets had landed, they were among four other aircraft that had been parked due to the congestion caused by the number of flights being diverted to Tenerife.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n At the time, Los Rodeos was a small regional airport with one main runway and was not accustomed to handling the volume of traffic it was suddenly experiencing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Located 2,077 feet (633 meters) above sea level, Los Rodeos was also prone to rapid weather changes with fog and low-lying cloud sometimes causing operational issues.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The site was now crowded with aircraft parked anywhere they could fit, from the taxiway to the various aprons.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n When the airport reopened, the Pan Am 747 was ready to leave promptly, but its pathway was blocked by the KLM 747 which had also elected to refuel with 55,500 liters of jet fuel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n As explained in the subsequent Spanish investigation report, once refueled the KLM flight was told by air traffic control (ATC) to taxi down the main runway to the approach end where it should proceed to backtrack.\u00a0<\/p>\n OTD in 1977, the Tenerife Airport Disaster reminded us all of how important clear & concise communications are in the world of aviation. 583 fatalities \ud83d\ude4f#Tenerife<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/prp3F3GI9m<\/a><\/p>\nFirst sequence of events\u00a0<\/h2>\n
![\"Pan](\"https:\/\/www.aerotime.aero\/images\/pan_am_boeing_747-100_clipper_maid_of_the_sea.jpg\" "\\"Pan")
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Arrival in Tenerife\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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![\"Aftermath](\"https:\/\/www.aerotime.aero\/images\/aftermath_of_tenerife_air_disaster-1024x682.jpg\" "\\"Aftermath")