The co-pilot who survived the Tenerife aircraft disaster In March 1977, two jumbo jets collided at Tenerife Airport killing 583 people. • Killed 583 people • A bomb explosion at Gran Canaria Airport, and the threat of a second bomb, caused many aircraft to be diverted to Los Rodeos Airport • A dense fog developed at Tenerife, greatly reducing visibility. The accident (which was also known as the Tenerife Airport Disaster), the worst of its kind in history, now forms an essential part of a pilot’s training. Located in the Atlantic Ocean off northwest Africa, Tenerife is the largest of Spain’s eight Canary Islands. In March 1977, two Boeing 747 jets collided on the runway of Tenerife Los Rodeos Airport. Video, 00:00:19Gaza tower block collapses after Israeli air strike, Teenager found in boat drifting for 22 days at sea. Tenerife Airport Disaster. The Tenerife airport disaster prompted the development of a uniform language for all pilots. Perhaps the first thing you should know is that Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten – who piloted the Dutch KLM 747 that was involved in the crash – had served as a role model for other airline pilots. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Van Zanten pulled hard on the yoke and added power in a futile attempt to clear the Pan Am 747. The collision of the two planes was attributed to a number of issues. Video, 00:01:06Israel strike collapses building during BBC report, 'We are afraid and cannot bear it any more' Video, 00:01:32'We are afraid and cannot bear it any more', âI feared I would drown in my bedroomâ Video, 00:04:42âI feared I would drown in my bedroomâ. The 'Queen of Chess' who defeated Kasparov. In the Tenerife airport disaster, van Zanten didn’t want to exceed the duty-time limits in place. 56 passengers and 5 crew from this flight survived. The Tenerife airport disaster on 27 March 1977 was the collision of two Boeing 747 passenger aircraft on the runway of Los Rodeos Airport (now known as Tenerife North Airport) in Tenerife, Spain; killing 583 people, the crash is the deadliest accident in aviation history. March 27, 1977 is a date permanently etched in aviation history. The plane is ready to start. By the time it had refuelled, a heavy fog settled over the airport at Tenerife. He was a studious type and regarded as the company’s pilot expert on the Boeing 747 systems. Video, 00:01:06, Israel strike collapses building during BBC report, 'We are afraid and cannot bear it any more' Video, 00:01:32, 'We are afraid and cannot bear it any more', âI feared I would drown in my bedroomâ Video, 00:04:42, âI feared I would drown in my bedroomâ. [3], When the news of the Tenerife disaster broke, the KLM executives looked for Veldhuyzen van Zanten to lead their investigation, only to realize that he had been involved in the accident. KLM’s 249 passengers and crew had just become 248. The Tenerife airport disaster was a fatal collision between two Boeing 747 passenger aircraft on Sunday, March 27, 1977, on the runway of Los Rodeos Airport (now known as Tenerife North Airport), on the Spanish island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. On March 27, 1977, the worst disaster in aviation history occurred in what was known as the Tenerife Airport Disaster. [1] He then obtained his Flight Radio Telephone Operator's Licence on 22 September 1952, Airline Transport Pilot's Licence on 19 October 1956, and Flight Navigator's Licence on 6 August 1963. March 27 1977. The Tenerife Airport disaster that took place on March 27, 1977, involved the collision of two 747 passenger aircraft on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport (now known as Tenerife North Airport) on the Spanish island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. Video, 00:00:35, Cat jumps five storeys to safety from burning building, Eurovision 2021: From child refugee to Swedish pop star. Collision The collision was largely caused by a lack of… Video, 00:00:35Cat jumps five storeys to safety from burning building, Eurovision 2021: From child refugee to Swedish pop star. The Tenerife disaster, the worst in aviation history, remains relevant today. There are 248 people on board the plane. The Olympian who never gave up. Tenerife Airport Disaster. Not one person dies from Disaster on Tenerife: ... called her boyfriend on Tenerife and was gone from the airport by the time KLM began taxiing. The airplane operated on a flight from Tenerife-Los Rodeos International Airport (TCI) to Las Palmas-Airport de Gran Canaria (LPA). 583 people died in this biggest accident in world aviation history. With a total of 583 fatalities, the crash is the deadliest accident in aviation history. [2] In addition to his duties as a regular airline pilot, he had been promoted to chief flight instructor for the Boeing 747. The pilot, thinking he was ... 1977 with a KLM jumbo jet at Los Rodeos airport, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The purpose of this article is to explain the details of the Tenerife airport disaster and then draw lessons that can help crews in the utility industry work even more safely. The big town on Tenerife is Santa Cruz, and its airport, beneath a set of cascading hillsides, is called Los Rodeos. Following the Tenerife accident, the aviation industry identified a need for the development of skills and managerial techniques. (Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives) On the 25th of April 1980, a Boeing 727 carrying British tourists to Tenerife in the Canary Islands f lew off course in fog and slammed into the side of La Esperanza, killing all 146 passengers and crew. Canary Islands. Born in Lisse, Netherlands, Veldhuyzen van Zanten obtained his private pilot's licence on 21 June 1947, and his commercial pilot's licence on 18 April 1950. From the beginnings of aviation, until only a few decades ago, a significant number of lives have been lost in various aircraft accidents. ... Pilots must stay it three times at the start of a radio call. On March 27, 1977, on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, two 747 jumbo jets collided on a fog-shrouded runway, killing 583 people in what is still the deadliest crash in aviation history. [8], Veldhuyzen van Zanten was rated for the following aircraft:[2], International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations, "A look back at the catastrophic chain of events that caused history's deadliest plane crash 30 years ago", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jacob_Veldhuyzen_van_Zanten&oldid=1013710790, Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Spain, Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1977, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Henriëtte Veldhuyzen van Zanten-Segers (b. 326 passengers and 9 crew on the Pan Am flight died, primarily due to the spilt fuel igniting and exploding. Airline regulations and aircraft our times told by the time it had,. Clear the Pan Am flight died, primarily due to the left from the first plane don ’ t the. 27, 1977 is a date permanently etched in aviation history until today, deadliest accident in history. Spilt fuel igniting and exploding even scheduled to land at Tenerife disaster - and. 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