30th Anniversary of the Tenerife Disaster

[Andrew Ong 1]

On March 27, 2007, it will be the 30th anniversary of the worst aircraft disaster in aviation history: The Tenerife Disaster. on March 27, 1977 (9 months before Malaysia Airlines Flight MH653 Disaster) KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Flight KL4805 and PanAm Airways Flight PA1736 collided on the runway during takeoff. 583 people were killed

Blame: the KLM crew failed to asked if they or the PanAm plane was cleared for takeoff . Accident profile:

 

Aircraft type:

-KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: Boeing 747-206B

-Pan Am Airlines: Boeing 747-121

Crash site: Tenerife, Canary Islands

Registration number:

-KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: PH-BUF

-Pan Am Airlines: N736PA

Accident Date: March 27, 1977

Passengers:

-KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: 234

-Pan Am Airlines: 382

Crew:

-KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: 14

-Pan Am Airlines: 14

Fatalities: 536 (all on the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines plane and on the Pan Am Airlines plane: 326 passengers and 9 crew members)

Survivors:

-KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: 0

-Pan Am Airlines: 61

Cause: Runway collision

 

**Note: Worst crash ever recorded in commercial aircraft history

 

Link:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_disaster

 

Precrash photos:

 

 

 

**Pictures courtesy of www.aviation-safety.net

 

Aftermath:

 

* KLM 4805

 

** PanAm 1736

 

*Picture courtesy of www.airdisaster.com

 

**Picture courtesy www.baaa-acro.com

Edited September 25, 2006 by Andrew Ong

[H Azmal 0]

Fatalities: 536 (all on the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines plane and on the Pan Am Airlines plane: 326 passengers and 9 crew members)

 

Total death was actually 583.

Edited September 25, 2006 by H Azmal

[Teoh Z Yao 0]

Sad!

 

Such accident should not have taken place...

[Guest Fendy]

a little o/t, but i rmemeber seeing a photo of the doomed aircraft somewhere wearing a revrse KLM livery (body mainly white). was this a special or was it KLs old livery?

[Andrew Ong 1]

The photo of the KLM plane that I am showing is the final shot taken . The old livery (reverse scheme: mostly white and blue stripes) was taken a few years before the the accident :

 

 

Picture courtesy of www.super70s.com

Edited September 25, 2006 by Andrew Ong