Learn the story behind the worst plane crash in history

Sunday, March 27, 1977, one of the most iconic days in aviation history. A few miles off the coast of Morocco, the airport of the city of Los Rodeos, located on the small island of Tenerife, was the scene of an unprecedented tragedy. Two Boeing 747s crashed to the ground, leaving 583 dead in what is considered the worst crash in aeronautical history.

As a rule, for a plane crash or crash to occur, there is a chain of events involved and not just an isolated event. As one of the safest transports in the world, the fear of flying is due more to the fact that when an accident occurs, it tends to be fatal, just as it was in Tenerife.

This case has changed the course of aviation when it comes to safety, especially on the ground. The Pan Am aircraft left Los Angeles with 248 people on board, while KLM's other flight came from Amsterdam with almost 400 passengers. The schedule was to go to Las Palmas Airport, the region's main airport, but after a bomb was planted in a flower shop by a breakaway group, the flights had to be redirected.

One of the main destinations was Los Rodeos Airport, considered small for large aircraft. In order to vent the demand with the lowest possible risk, some procedures were taken, such as the plane going to the end of the runway, making a 180 degree turn and then starting the takeoff process. The problem here is that the aircraft taxiing in this way were invisible to the control tower and other aircraft, as there were no ground radar at the airport.

Both captains were excellent pilots, even being a reference within their companies when it comes to flying. On KLM's side, Jacob Van Zanten was the company's chief instructor in the 747 field. And upon completing the 180-degree maneuver at the end of the runway, he asked to be released by the control tower starting the takeoff procedure.

On the other hand, Bob Bragg comes with Pan Am requesting permission to finally take off, as Las Palmas has been released. He is told which landing line to use, but at first this part of the communication was lost due to overlapping messages on the radio. At the same time, a dense fog falls over the place, reducing visibility to just a few meters ahead. With that, Pan Am riders miss the track and move on to the next side. It should not be a big problem if there was no takeoff nearby.

By requesting the release, Van Zanten shows clear signs of stress, after all, that was a long day for all riders. With the intense communication on the channels and tiredness thinking about all the teams, the chain of events that generated the accident follows its path. Van Zanten releases the brakes and announces that he will take off, even though uncertainty will show in his voice. KLM's Bragg announces he's still taxiing on the track and the tower announces to Van Zanten: “Okay. Wait to take off. I'll call you when it's time. ” The silence on the other end of the line was understood by the tower as confirmation. However, all the pilot heard was: Okay and nothing more.

At this point the two aircraft are already underway, and while a simple message can prevent the worst, communication failure will cost the lives of hundreds of people. A few seconds later, the planes are hitting each other without the crew realizing it, which happens only when it's too late.

When they see each other, one of the planes tries to throw to the left, while the other tries to take off quickly, but ends up dragging its tail on the ground and the landing gear goes over the Boeing, starting a series of explosions. The severely damaged KLM aircraft returns to the runway, is dragged for meters and then consumed by fire. Of the 396 people on board, only 61 survived, including the 5 in the cockpit.

The aircraft, which at the time was known as one of the most glamorous, was marked by tragedy.

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