What factors contributed to the Tenerife plane crash?

The investigation determined that the main cause of the accident was the KLM aircraft taking off without clearance. Investigators agreed that the captain believed he had clearance (although it was not as certain for the first officer) and that the tower thought the aircraft was still waiting at the end of the runway.

What are some human errors which could have contributed to the disaster at Tenerife?

This paper focuses on three areas that were the major contributing factors in the accident: stress, small group communication under stress, and small group dynamics.

What causes turbulence?

Turbulence is caused when an airplane flies through waves of air that are irregular or violent, which cause the aircraft to bounce around yawing, pitching, or rolling. You can compare turbulence to two oceans meeting.

Who survived Tenerife airport disaster?

But when the all clear came to resume their journeys, a combination of bad weather and miscommunication meant that Pan Am Flight 1736 was still on the runway as KLM Flight 4805 attempted take-off. Captain Robert Bragg was the co-pilot aboard the Pan Am plane, and was one of the few who survived the collision.

When did the Tenerife airport disaster happen?

March 27, 1977
Tenerife airport disaster/Start dates
Tenerife airline disaster, runway collision of two Boeing 747 passenger airplanes in the Canary Islands on March 27, 1977, that killed more than 580 people.

How many people died in Tenerife airport disaster?

583
Tenerife airport disaster/Number of deaths

What happened to the Tenerife airport disaster?

On March 27, 1977, two Boeing 747 passenger jets, operating KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736, collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport (now Tenerife North Airport) on the Spanish island of Tenerife. Resulting in 583 fatalities, the Tenerife airport disaster is the deadliest in aviation history .

Why did two planes collide in Canary Islands?

The collision of the two planes was attributed to a number of issues. Earlier that day, a bomb explosion at Gran Canaria Airport that injured eight people, followed by a second bomb threat by the Canary Islands Independence Movement, led to extra planes being diverted to the airport in Tenerife.

Why is Tenerife’s South Airport built at 64 meters?

These conditions affected the aircraft’s visibility of each other, and also the tower’s view. Tenerife South Airport was built after the disaster – it is at an elevation of just 64 meters to avoid cloud issues. Photo: Aisano via Wikimedia

Why were two jumbo jets on the same runway in Tenerife?

For a start, neither of the jumbo jets should have ever been on Tenerife, let alone on the same runway. Both airliners were supposed to be carrying passengers going to the nearby island of Gran Canaria, where they were planning to spend their vacation. On the Pan Am flight were a group of mostly Americans going to Gran Canaria to join a cruise.