The Tenerife Aviation Disaster is known as the deadliest aviation accident in history. The accident occurred when two aircraft at the then Los Rodeos Airport collided while on the runway. The airport's only taxiway was obstructed by parked planes, forcing all planes to taxi on the runway. Patches of fog that were drifting across the airport greatly reduced visibility and made a crash even more likely to occur.
The collision occurred when the KLM airline initiated its takeoff run while the Pan Am airliner, hidden by the fog, was still on the runway and about to turn off onto the taxiway. The impact and resulting fire killed everybody onboard the KLM and most of the passengers of the Pan Am, with only 61 in the front portion of the aircraft. The final death tally is 583, an astronomical number when compared to other aviation accidents.
An investigation was soon launched to determine who was at fault. In the end, it was decided that it was the fault of the crew of KLM and the airliner quickly agreed to pay compensation towards the affected families. The accident had many plastic effects, including better staff training and routine cockpit inspections.
Fun Facts:
- Los Rodeos airport changed its name to Tenerife Airport, hence the name of the accident.
- At the time, Tenerife Airport had no ground radar, so air traffic controllers had no idea KLM was taking off.
- It is thought that if the fog was not present on that day, the lives of 583 would have been spared.
Picture of the burning planes shortly after the accident:
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