Crash of the Century | Tenerife Airport Disaster
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 18 июн 2024
- Please support this channel by following me on Patreon
/ allecibay
On March 27, 1977, two Boeing 747 passenger jets collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport (now Tenerife North Airport), on the Spanish island of Tenerife, Canary Islands. The crash killed 583 people, making it the deadliest accident in aviation history. As a result of the complex interaction of organizational influences, environmental conditions, and unsafe acts leading up to this aircraft mishap, the disaster at Tenerife has served as a textbook example for reviewing the processes and frameworks used in aviation mishap investigations and accident prevention.
Credits go to Mayday (Air Crash Investigation, Air Emergency, Air Disasters in other places) for the video clips of the aftermath!
Music: Only The Light Is Gone
Artist: Dalo Vian
Listen to the entire music here:
• The Only Light Is Gone...
Follow me on:
/ allec.ibay
/ joshandroma
/ joshandroma 
Игры
Definitely not trying to compare the two, but as an over-the-road truck driver, I distinctly remember my instructor saying the exact words "as a rookie, you will likely not make the major mistakes. You are well trained and your guard is up. The drivers who make the most mistakes are the ones have the most experience and have become complacent and comfortable with their position."
Thats just how it is sometimes.
Jeff Keeton The Dutch pilot was definitely overconfident about the situation. I can't get over how they ordered these huge Jets to divert to that piss-ant little airport.
So exacting . . . however, so complacent. So true . . . .
Thats the same thing they say to us light rail operators.
@@zesuper and to us regular-ass car drivers.
...actually they say most accidents happen in or near your neighborhood, where you are most comfortable.
@@metropromise5915 I always felt that way too. Just because of what? a bomb threat in the terminal?
Just park the arrivals out on the Tarmac, hand everyone their luggage and send them out the gate.
There was no good reason they couldn't have landed, disembarked, claimed bags, and checked with customs outside at the correct airport if the bomb threat was in a terminal building a mile away.
I am a former railroader, and we used to have a saying that "all of our safety regulations are written in someone's blood."
I guess that is also true of airlines...
i too am a former railroad engineer, and i believe that your saying is pretty correct..rock on rock island rr..
Go, CSX!!!
@@ilttpvvm indeed
Yes, that is very true. That is why aviation is called tombstone technology and FAA safety regulations are written in blood.
All safety rules are written in blood
A survivor from the Pan Am flight lives in my home-county! The female survivor made the news on CBS back in 2017, marking the 40-year anniversary of the disaster. The survivor holds a job as a receptionist at a local newspaper company. She used to live in Arizona, but moved to Florida (where I live) in 2017.
That one KLM passenger who decided to stay on the island with her boyfriend sure was lucky.
@Pushty Greek It was luck. Don’t try to push some dumb ideology.
@@SuperWhofan1 what
@@SuperWhofan1 ???
@@SuperWhofan1 👁️👄👁️
@@WHENWEGONEWIN Don't you fuckers understand that The one who he answered for deleted his comment. You can see someones username. That's The person he talks to
So sad. Brilliant simulation, very respectful. RIP all who perished.
klm lands first?
Yes, indeed. RIP.
It's been over 40 years since this tragedy occurred, and I still can't even think about it without sobbing. What a terrible, terrible disaster it was.
Indeed.
Absolutely.
I almost cannot believe that this really happened. On this day, everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. The bombing, landing on an plugged-up airport with no ground radar, an asshole like van Zanten in the cockpit, the KLM having refueled, language problems with the tower, the dense fog and finally, the Pan Am missing their exit due to the fog.
It is almost unbelievable that all the odds came together on that day. As an aviation enthusiast, this accident really gets to me - and is an aching reminder how dangerous aviation can be.
Courier6 And don’t forget the three second radio heterodyne.
Courier6 The Pan-Am didn't miss its exit they purposely went past it as they believed that the turn was too sharp for the 747 to make. It's also very sad to see how a company policy can put KLMs top pilot on such a hair trigger that he'll be off down the runway as soon as ATC mutters the word takeoff irrelevant of whether clearance is then given or not.
PamAm did not miss their exit due to the fog. The degree was impossible for the airplane to make the turns and they avoided it for that purpose.
Courier6 the Pan Am plane didn't miss there exit due to fog it was due to the 148 degree turn that was impossible for a Jumbo 747 to make. That was turn 3.....they saw from runway layout in cockpit that turn 4 was only about 45 degrees and more manageable so they made a conscious decision to bypass turn 3 as instructed and proceed to turn 4. This is fact backed up from ATC voice recorder and the Pan Am Cockpit Voice Recorder and from interviews with Robert Bragg the 1st Officer of the Pan Am flight
also if the klm wouldn't refueled it could manage to takeoff with less weight before hitting pan am
I've actually read "Terror At Tenerife " no less than 18 times. Know the book by heart. This video reiterated memories from my past, reason why I'm a Pilot today. Thank you.
Should read: “reason why I am a controller today”
@@TiffMcGiff I'd say what's the most important book to read is the Bible. Wonder how many that perished in this wreck, wished they had
@@jonburrows2684 Your comment implies a lack of charity. You don’t need to wonder about that kind of stuff. If you’re a Christian, your job is to pray for their souls. Peace and have a fruitful Lent! 😁
@@TapiocaTwoStep I agree, but was just food for thought
@@jonburrows2684 Get fucked.
Not enough people appreciate the time and effort these videos take. I am blown away
This is so heart breaking. So many life's lost. A plane can be replaced but those poor souls can not. To me the sight of all those coffins brings home the enormity of the loss, don't forget that behind every one of those coffins is a family, relatives, friends and work mates who will be in mourning for a very long time.
May those poor souls be at rest, and with G-D and the Angels.
The “good” news is that, as a result of the investigation, changes were made to radio instructions to distinguish “take off” from “cleared to position and hold”.
I just learned about this tragedy. I can’t do anything but respect you for taking the time to make this detailed video on your own.
I am 51 , I remember seeing this on tv when I was a child. But I did not realize the extent of the carnage back then or until I watched this incredible video. The photos at the end are just heart wrenching. The entire KLM plane, crew and passengers, gone. So sad !
When the KLM started its take-off roll I felt physically sick. A terrible tragedy, rest in peace all who died.
This is a good example of how air disasters are usually caused by a series of events, instead of just a single mistake. Had the bomb not gone off in Canary Islands, we probably wouldn't have had this at all.
It's best if we had this, people learn from mistakes. Thats why flying is so safe today.
Learning the hard way is not good. It's the absolute worst.
Mz Mrs Mr waveMC, this "REGIONAL" control tower handling multiple oversize planes is the recipe for disaster. When the finger pointing is all done, two highly experienced crews, got complacent, at an unfamiliar airport, in the fog, with a tower that had never seen this much traffic.
at an airport with no ground radar.
if and if u can built paris
Because of someone’s boyfriend, that someone was saved.
Robina Van Lanschot (her full name) was lucky enough to avoide what would’ve been her last day in life. She had two other friends with her that day but they died along with the rest on board the KLM.
She is lucky.. if I were that boyfriend I would feel blessed to be the reason I saved my girlfriend's life. If her parents didn't accept him as a boyfriend, I hope they did afterwards when they saw their daughter is alive.
so Clipper Victor went through all that? first an inaugural commercial flight, a hijacking and was also the first B747 hijacking and landed in Cuba and was the first B747 to land in Cuba, then this?
Don't forget later on they had that terrorist bombing in the UK in 88. Some celebrities like Motown's The Four Tops should've been in the plane but decided not to get on it.
@@timmy841212 i think he meant the exact plane type, N736PA.
@@brodude5135 No it's the exact airframe N736PA, the aircraft type is 747-100
@@octopi8152 yeah i was saying the bombing wasnt N736PA
the 3rd 747 built was pan am involved in lockerbie
my neighbors died in this accident. the parents were celebrating their anniversary and had relatives watching their children. i was in 9th or 10th grade. it was really strange, the house where they had lived was untouched for a couple years and then trucks came and a bunch of movers emptied it out. a for sale sign went up and it sold not long after that and a family moved in. i dont know where the kids went but i never saw them again. this was in the late 1970's, my parents still live on that street and i think of that plane crash every time i drop by to visit my parents.
Paleo Man sorry for your lost
So sad 😞
that's an eerie story.
not so much eerie but really sad from my perspective. the house had cars in the driveway but no one ever came home.
Paleo Man May they RIP and sorry for your having to experience this at a young age. I assume the house was probably one of those situations were there was a mortgage, then a delay in settling things (to delay for an accurate accounting of the wealth of the estate until after the many lawsuits), child custody, possible squabble over the money for the children.... my god I can only imagine the back and forth, infighting, and trauma for the children. Eerie...
This was very well done. Being a flight attendant, I appreciated the authenticity and accuracy of the whole situation. I had read about it on Wikipedia...but learned new details here that were not included in that account. THANK YOU!
I flew with one of the surviving Pan Am pilots of this crash years later. It was a very close encounter with death. He told me that If he hadn't been bending over he would have been decapitated! The KLM Wingtips Sheared off the top of the Pan Am Cockpit.
777skycaptain Holy Shit!!
Was that with Bob Bragg? he passed away in Feb of 2017 @ age 79. I am a survivor and have a book on the market titled "Never Wait for the Fire Truck". Here is the link to my website: www.canaryislandscrash.com
Human nature, unfortuantely. KLM captain, Titanic captain. Both were considered "superstars", both thought in their arrogance and pride that they alone stopped disasters from happening by just being in charge so rules could be broken.
Stay with the story line pal. Anyway, if it was not for dropping the bombs, I and countless others on both sides would not be alive today. In my opinion, should have dropped one Tokyo. Oh, a I assume your Dutch, If you people would have let the French and English into your country before Hitler attacked the west on May 9, 1940, WWII in Europe might have ended than.
The problem with assuming things... *shakes head*
I put off watching this video this morning because I thought I've seen it all regarding this disaster. Just watched it. Your presentation of it is fresh and fraught with new things I had never seen, heard, or considered. Bravo.
Well done, Allec. You preserved the dignity of those who died while giving us the step-by-step chronology of the ill-fated events, culminating in the shocking horror of the crash. Very well done!
It was 40 years ago, Samantha. Get over it...
gomphrena =
Craig ferree you can't get over someone's death even if 100 years pass
gomphrena Tenerife most likely brought forth many changes - working radar at every airport worldwide, do not take off or land in inclement weather, better communication with pilots and crews on all airlines with traffic controllers and better airline safety in general. Since that dark day in Tenerife, there have been many changes in aviation for the better and air travel has been the safest in decades. You might say that the 583 passengers on both the Pan Am and the KLM airliners made the ultimate sacrifice so that better safety measures in aviation are being made in today's modern era.
And without judgment upon the KLM captain who was the absolute idiot who conduced this murder.
I can’t believe that out of all the time they had, ATC and Pan Am crew decided to tell the KLM flight at the same time. A sequence of events was required for this to happen. RIP to everyone who died on both planes.
They didn't. It was a radio interference induced misunderstanding
My mother’s best friend died in this accident. She was a flight attendant for Pan Am. And incidentally, I am now a Boeing 747 captain.
CXN Thank you very much! And I most definitely won’t be. I make very conservative and ever-safe decisions in the cockpit (and elsewhere in life too!).
jumboJetPilot What airline do you fly for man? I feel honored just talking to a 747 Captain!
Ha ha, thanks! I am dual qualified in both the 747-400 and 747-8. I also fly the C-5M Super Galaxy. And before I was flying airplanes professionally I was sailing containerships (I have both my third mate and third assistant engineer's licenses). I've definitely loved making a career out of travel!
that's Soo sad. horrific and feel sad for those who lost their lives. burning alive is painful.
there should be something that need to be done to avoid flames coming through during the crash. every single minute I m worried when I m in the plane. if there is safety measures in the plane there would be no worries at all and would not suffer with this horrific desth.when this things happens makes me more scared. I m from India and in Manglore air India express met with a crash in the hill top. people were burnt Alive women kids shouting for help lying on the grounds. after I reached to that spot I heard a dead silence of the screams. i m not able to forget that incident that screams it was Soo painful then I realised instead of suffering in this horrific death why cant we invent something which prevent causing flames having automatic parachutes will help the aircraft to land down slowly.
cxn......did u know Van Zanten personally ? if not............
Superb work, Allec. I have no doubt you put a tremendous amount of time and effort into making these.
What can I say Alec. Your getting better and better at what you do. The tragedies are horrific and sad. But the work you do almost makes you feel like you are God watching helplessly from way above.
On my flight to Denmark, the tower informed our pilot that we “lost something” on the runway in Maine . Every once in awhile someone would stop in the aisle next to my seat and pull up the carpet and floor (boards)sic to check with a flashlight - Then shake his head and return to the cockpit. Later, when I got up to get some water (we were allowed to do it back then), I noticed that the stewardesses were nervous and upset. One was crying.
I decided to grab pillows and blankets and went quietly to my seat to prepare to die.
I’ll never forget coming through the clouds, seeing emergency vehicles, the white foamy runway. After a very VERY SMOOTH LANDING, we were told our lives were saved by the same Captain who lived through the disaster on the Canary island.
I get chills thinking about it now. Thankyou for the great video.❤️
Oh we all clapped, and prayed, and cheered, and cried with joy!
I'm 17 years old and I'm also from Tenerife. I have always wondered what happened at Los Rodeos and because of this video now I know it. I'm leaving a like
This was such a nice remake, this deserves to be your most popular video with 10 million views!
It's not his video he don't make it
I think when you removed the first one of Tenerife Airport Disaster, I loved this video 'cause you improved the recreation of the video. I loved this so much.
Beautiful work, Mr. Ibay! Through your insightful videos you've given me a new understanding of commercial aviation. Thank you!
I thought the engineer was always warning, but he's just named Warns
But only if he could warn them about the tragedy that was going to happen
George Warns was the Flight Engineer of Pan Am Flight 1736. The KLM Flight Engineer was Willem Schreuder.
i was having really awful, vivid dreams about planes crashing about a year ago. it was almost every night i went to sleep. i started to really struggle with sleeping. i’ve been absolutely terrified to get on a plane since, i will avoid it at all costs lol. for some odd reason since those dreams i’ve had such an odd interest in plane crashes & looking at photos of them. its such a tragic thing, & i really applaud pilots especially but also passengers who have the guts to get on planes. i know the odds are very low of actually crashing while in a plane but i’ve always felt those dreams are telling me to not get on one, ever.
Madii
Its normal to have flight anxiety however a dream is usually just a dream
Some of these videos are bringing tears to my eyes...........and heartache. I LOVE being a pilot..........but at times you just have to wonder why.........we can't just follow our instinct. I LOVE your videos, I am addicted to them right now. Great sound and love the black box audios. I am extremely patient when flying and I am in the hands of God.
The KLM pilot was their chief safety officer. How long would it have taken for him to simply ask the tower if Pan Am was clear before taking control of the throttles? If I knew another plane was back-taxing with me down a runway, I'd sure as hell want to know where it was before attempting a take-off. I would say he was distracted by something else. His mind wasn't on the job that day. Sure, the tower was lousy at giving clear, precise directions. Sure, the Pan Am plane went for the wrong taxiway exit. But ultimately, that KLM pilot should have made damn sure the runway was clear before taking off, and that could have been accomplished with a simple radio call and question.
Victoria; I'm a helicopter pilot, and a retired paramedic - as such, I've seen what can happen when people short-circuit the rule book. At flight school, I was such a stickler for the rules, including making sure my aircraft passed EVERY SINGLE pre-flight check, that they called me "Mr. FAA" - but I don't care, I've landed nowhere but Runway 23, without incident. Rules are in "the book" for a reason.
I believe accidents such as this is evidence that there is no god. You are operating under a false sense of security.
I’d trust you get my family and friends and I to Hawaii
@@andrehut8131 Yes, indeed.
it's happen long time ago and I'm so deeply sorry for all, God bless you.
Damn it man, I legit screamed at the very scene before the crash footage was shown. This is really saddening!
me too had to cover my own mouth
I'm friggin crying here, never saw this before 😵 what horror this was.
Great video again! A great remake of this defining moment in aviation history!
What a terrible disaster, I wish it never happened...May the 583 people and the three pilots from the Pan-Am Flight rest in peace.
But the three pilots on the pan-am flight survived?
+Gustav Ziirsen Jochumsen they've all passed away since
Those 3 pilots from the pan-am flight have already reached their final destination, along with the rest of the 583 people.
Pam Am flight crew survived all of the passengers on both Jumbos perished
I am a survivor of this accident. All 3 flight crew members on Pan Am along with two others who were in the cockpit. You can learn more about this accident by reading my book, "Never Wait for the Fire Truck" by David Yeager Alexander. Check out my website for a link to Amazon and photos: www,canaryislandscrash.com
Another awesome job by Allec, you are amazing sir. This one took a hell of a lot of work to make, and we appreciate. You also, somehow, do these w/the utmost respect for the tragedy. This one was especially intense and gripping.
Just goes to show you that thousands of hours of flight time doesn't make you a great pilot. It can make you complacent and forget important procedures. Just remember the phrase; "Complacency is a killer."
RSP> Still learning English and check up on word ..complacency.. dictionary shows couple of options, so does it mean you deliberately don't notice something or you just don't give a shit about the others, or satisfaction with yourself?
Kelly Caviazel
I believe in this context, it means you become so use to performing procedures that you get lax and no longer recognize the need for checking and even double checking. It’s not that you don’t, “give a shit”, but that after so many times of performing a task successfully you lose sight of the danger and potential for disaster at hand. I guess it’s a type of arrogance. You think you know because you’ve known, and loose sight of the possibility that you don’t know. It happens all the time to many of us, professionally and non professionally. It reminds me of a time when I was training with Greyhound. We were brought to a class and this senior instructor said to us, “ ... even though you may have been driving for a very long time, and you think you know, just listen. There is always something you can learn”. I am right now driving on a 2 month tour throughout the U.S. I have to always remind myself to mind my following distance, don’t tailgate, don’t drive offensively, give the other guy a brake and let him in. I am amazed at how a quick glance at something not on the road can distract me enough to slip outside my lane or roll up on someone who has slowed down. Things can happen in an instant and no matter how good you think you are, if you become complacent, your risk of an accident goes way up and you might not be able to avoid it. If I don’t turn that phone off while driving, somewhere along the line it will distract me. That’s what it’s designed to do! ... Get my attention ...
It might make you a great pilot 99% of the time. That remaining 1% can be a killer, though.
They were all great pilots it's just one bad situation after another.
Right you are,Mike Young..just makes the pilots overly confidant 😕
Excellent video! Some details I didn't know had occurred. Very touching....
Allec, great video. Could you possibly put a shadow or outline on the captions to make them easier to read on light backgrounds? Rock on, bud!
Creatchture That is a good idea. Too light on light to read some of it.
Thank you Allec for the excellent report and very informative simulation about this accident. This is the first time I've actually seen it! Thanks.
This is the best video of that terrible accident that I've ever seen. Now I finally know exactly what happened. The photo of the two planes on the tarmac are haunting. The video of the impact is a recreation from a documentary, which is also good.
This a pretty good channel. Been watching all day. Very interesting and informative 👍
Excellent video. Such an senseless tragedy. It's crazy how you look back on horrific events and realize how the absolute smallest insignificant thing, done one second later, would have prevented the event from ever happening. The what-ifs linger on forever.....and in your mind you try to prevent it and save all of those lives, until you realize it has already happened, and those lives are long gone.
I seriously love your videos. They give an in-depth look at flight incidents and disasters. I love it on an educational standpoint.
Thank you for a great video. My sincere condolences for the families of the people who passed on.🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Wow, much better then the old one! Good job! Keep up the great work!
This was an excellent straightforward explaination, thank you.
Yes, indeed.
Thank you for putting this up ....it is remarkably touching and tragic....
Brilliant video. I can't count how many times I have watched it and still my sad eyes literally pee down my cheeks.
I... ah, ... hmm.
At least 1 person on the KLM escaped death as she wanted to stay at Tenerife to be with her Boyfriend,thats lucky.
true
That person of course didn't know that
Just imagine what she must've felt when she found out about the accident.
53bload53 well all of her friends die on the crash that day...
Rick Negan Not sure where you're getting your information, it's because she was from the future and knew what would happen and wasn't allowed to intervene not because she was a fortune teller.
If just one link of the chain of events was broken, this wouldn't have happened. Insane
Yes, indeed.
Miscommunication and inpatients can do such great lost of life...rip to all the victims.
Yep! and thanks to this Moron a lot of people died, hope he is burning is hell.
MrScary - Sometimes out-patients cause problems too. They come and go and the next thing you know they are stealing your hospital gowns and bed pans.....!
Hey its not impatience... Imagine you're a pilot and your aircraft is diverted too, you are nearing your maximum flight policy thing and you have not yet reached your destination, if you exceed the limit and break the rule your license will be taken away and you will be unemployed if you keep waiting a new set of pilots will be sent to ferry the passengers and would delay the flight to Canary Islands even more! I'd not call that impatience...Get your facts right bro, the main reason was LESS VISIBILITY AND MISSCOMMUNICATION!!
@@wavular Its not his fault!
May they Rest In Peace
Thank you very much for this decent, intensive and also very enlightening video-report! RIP to all victims. RIP to the Cockpit Crew of Pan Am Flight 1736 who passed away now, too.
Great video Allec!
Please add black borders around your white text, similar to subtitles are done, to increase readability.
This was precisely my point too - white lettering on a white background is pretty stupid really - a young child could easily find a way round this problem.
@@hamschh Yes? You okay my dude?
Thank you. Nice take on this. Very moving.
Excellent and harrowing video. Very well presented. Thanks for sharing. I know it's many years later now but I still feel the need to say RIP to all those who lost their lives in this disaster
makes you sad,and angry at the same time, that KLM's top pilot could cause the most epic fuck up in aviation history
Kevin Pippin yes but I also blame the airport for not closing when weather got bad.
It was no one person's fault...it was a "cascade" of events...
First watch the video, then comment. It wasn’t down to one person’s fault. The changes made after this drama confirm that.
@@user-ny2gt7zc7t Yes that last bit is the most important part. When I first watched the plane go up in flames I was furious with the tower. Why would they allow takeoff before confirming that the plane was off the runway? But then that last detail came out and it all made sense. I also feel the Pan Am crew should have informed the tower that they weren't taking C3, but instead C4.
(not a redditor) but 69 likes
I was really hoping you would redo this one, because when you first uploaded it, the quality and audio was really bad, so thanks for the redo.
Thanks for this great video.
thank you for download such a terrible disaster
Job well done, Allec; very well done.
Indeed.
Who fills a plane with tons of fuel when they are only flying like 1 hour away? Then they have to land with an overweight plane which is against policy. Its The KLM pilots and the ATC's fault. Period.
Laika24102007 landing a plane over its maximum landing weight (MLW) can actually cause structural damage to the aircraft which can cause KLM much more money than just getting cheaper fuel.
Mostly the mom pilots fault
Money Mac The process is known as tankering. Common practice in airlines esp. on short haul flights. For example a flight from London to Zurich I been on, as Switzerland has higher fuel prices than the UK they fill more in London to cut costs, so be it a few dollars worth. This adds more weight to the aircraft and these overweight baggage charges are pure bullshit. I was charged $60 once for overweight bag whilst a passenger who I spoken to found a better deal on his ticket online, the guy weight 3x as much as me. I weighed 70kg and he must be over 200kg and has a cheaper ticket whilst I was charged more for the same flight and the plane probably had 30% more fuel on top of its 10% recommended reserve fuel. The Airbus A320 would consume more fuel hauling his bulging fat gunt over to Switzerland than mine and my baggage put together 3x.
Money Mac Yeah... definitely not like there’s something called a fuel dump
Not the ATCs fault,the KLM captain was in a haste to get off the ground and thought that he had been given takeoff clearance when in fact he hadn't. Also, I kind of feel that if Dutch flight regulations hadn't been so rigid, he wouldn't have been in such a hurry.
An excellent video. Well done. So lifelike and very accurate.
Tragic, but we learned and made air travel much safer thanks to this. Thanks for the video.
The safest rule is to use an active runway for takeoff not taxi. Especially if no one can see each other. KLM pilot was in a hurry. Big price to pay.
I'm starting to see a pattern with some of these older, well decorated captains and air disasters.
because those captains are overconfident with their ability and the first officer or flight engineer are scared to challenge the captain, which lead to disasters, not only this disaster but a few CFIT accidents are because of this
Brilliant Production.Clear and precise information and great graphic's 10/10
I am hypnotized watching each of your videos. Excellent presentation.♡♡♡
So much blame to go around. The KLM pilot was impatient and made his takeoff roll without clearance. The KLM pilot mistakenly thought he had takeoff clearance due to poor/disrupted communications with the control tower. The Pan Am pilot didn't exit the runway where he was told to exit. There should never have been two aircraft back-taxiing on the runway at the same time in near zero visibility conditions -- the planes could not see each other and the control tower could not see either plane.
Right on all counts Neal B.
@neal b, it clearly says that the pan am, being a large plane, was incapable of performing two 183 degree turns on the 3rd exit. So, I don't think it was their fault.
I heard the Pan AM pilot was lost and simply didn't see the correct exit marker in the fog at an unfamiliar airport.
They didn't make that clear to the tower and ask for clarification either though. Instead of just ignoring the ATC instructions and proceeding down the runway, they absolutely should've informed the tower that they were not able to utilize C3 exit and were still on the runway. As the OP stated, a huge failure was the fact that the tower allowed this back taxiing of two planes on the same runway during near zero visibility. That's just asking for trouble.
Manish Dash Can any pilot make turns like two 183s at once with any kind of jetliner let alone a 747? I don't think so at all. But the Pan Am should've pulled off at the second taxiway instead the third or the fourth.
In my opinion, the real culprit here is rigid enforcement of flight time regulations. Had there been an exception for unforeseen circumstances, the KLM captain would not have been in such a hurry.
RR KNL thats compleatly true💗💟Thanks for noting that!
Indeed true. But the pressure of the flight time limitation very likely made the captain think he had a clearance when if fact, he did not. All he could think about was not busting the regulations and this very likely clouded his judgement.
When you're in an all-fire hurry, it's very easy to hear something that wasn't actually stated or mis-interpret something that was stated.
RR KNL In reality theres blame on all sides, this crash is one of those things caused by a change in regular schedule that snowballs. If that bomb never happened, no issue. If the fog hadnt come in right when they were taxiing, theyd have seen each other in plenty of time to stop. If the KLM crew wasnt in such a hurry they may not have taken off prematurely, if the Pan Am crew had turned off at C3 (impossible but speaking time wise) theyd not have been hit, if the radio heterodyne hadnt happened, etc. Its one of those things where its hard to not think it was destined to happen for whatever reasons we will never know.
While this is indeed true, some items carry more weight than others.
Every one of the above would most likely have prevented the crash but the KLM captains decision to takeoff without clearance was, in my opinion, the largest contributing factor and the main reason for his decision was the rigid enforcement of flight time regulations.
limpack1
All very true. But in this case the captain thought he had the clearance.
This was a very well done video.
Yes, these are upsetting videos but my God what an amazing job you do of showing how these tragedies unfold.
Captain Vanzanten was not clear for takeoff, he never heard the air traffic controller say "KLM 4805 you are clear for takeoff". Period. He should've remained where he was. A takeoff clearance always has the phrase "You are cleared for takeoff".
Even if he were cleared, he KNEW that Pan Am 1736 was backtracking on the Runway as well and he should have realised he did not hear them give the tower a runway clearance. He should have instantly realised those two things when he thought he received TO clearance and asked the tower "Is Pan Am 1736 clear of RWY ?".
He THOUGHT he heard it, though.
Giordan Diodato if he thought he heard it and was unsure, he should have called for confirmation
Captain Vanzanten definately should have made sure that an PAN AM was Cleared....if he didnt hear he should have confirmed it.....over and over if need be....it was mostly his fault for sure.....in a hurry, cost....all those lives!!!!.
They guy hadn't had his morning coffee give him a break! lol
Still difficult to watch. One man's impatience caused all of that loss of life & destruction. Well, there's usually a number of variables involved in a catastrophe such as this (and there was) but the captains decision to T/O was the final determinating factor of the whole thing!
Eric Lozen yeah but also the KLM crew didn't hear the command " standby for takeoff" witsh would have prevented the hole thing, tecnicly nobody told them to wait, how is that his fault then!?
As the captain he's 100% responsible for overseeing everything and that by far includes the safety of all passenger & crew members including his self. This occurred years before CRM (Cockpit Resource Management) was mandated; often the 1st &/or 2nd officer (in this case the flight engineer) might have a concern but felt uneasy to bring it up to the captain. The captain should have reconfirmed with the control tower their instructions; there was definitely a measure of doubt with the copilot and further action should have occurred before knowing for CERTAIN that they're cleared for takeoff.
Eric almost 600 people death because arrogance of one individual,really sad
Eric Lozen you and I have the same opinion. There is always a cascading set of failures that lead down a path to destruction such as this, but one event “ends” the path and sets the final event in motion.
definitly not i figure its nones fault but if we are to point fingers its as much fault by grubbs
Outstanding video as usual
Thank you very much for this very impressive Video and the explanation what happened here.
RIP to all victims and the Pan Am Cockpit Crew who passed away now, too.
RIP
I flew Pan Am across the pacific several times in 1976-77 on a 747. I have wondered if one of those flights involved this particular plane.
olentangy74 How was your experience with Pan Am? I once flew to Hawaii on United on a DC10, and judging from the seat configuration the DC10 has the exact same as a 747. But all in all my flight experience was rewarding. Hope you had a great experience with Pan Am.
Powerful video, Alec. Thank you for a fine job. So many things had to go wrong for that to happen, and they did. Smh. God rest the pilots of the Pan Am, heroes all...
John Sauerbrun p
John Sauerbrun yy
WOOOOW...soooo sad...so so sad... well documented...thanks for sharing...
This spurs me to remember that a few years after this crash, I got to know a man who'd been a steward on the Pan Am flight in First Class (the only part of the plane that wasn't destroyed), who obviously survived this disaster. He never discussed it but someone else told me he'd been involved. Obviously I never brought it up. I no longer remember his name; I haven't seen him for decades.
Regardless if your a superstar in the airline you still have to get along with your crewmates in the cockpit no matter what their ranks and experience levels are: Captain, Senior First Officer, Junior First Officer or Second Officer. Because in the cockpit environment you work as a team, there's never a one person job.
Brilliant!
So much to say about that tragic day, i remember it like it was yesterday. I was 13 years old while living in my mom's country of Spain while my dad was stationed at Torrejon AB. Spanish news were broadcasting it for several day's and thanks to my mom i understood every word that was coming out of that television. And as for today i understand every word that is spoken in Spanish.
Man I just love your vids
Do not ever let someone,s stupid overtime regulations take your life or 583 others. My life, my passengers, my rules! Don,t like it! Too bad.
So well said
it's been said that being a pilot is 99.9999% boredom punctuated by 0.00001% panic. that is, the vast majority of pilots go thru their entire careers with no panic situation.
so why does the number of flying hours of a pilot matter?? seems to me that the more meaningful number would be hours spent in a full functional simulator where panic situations - and ATC - can be replicated.
Nowadays simulation time is so very similar to the "real world" that all Operators rely on simulators for the bulk of Pilot training, and all Regulatory Authorities recognise this training as equivalent to "real aircraft" experience. This is particularly the case where the training simulates situations that have caused fatal accidents when attempted in "real" aircraft - especially asymmetric landings. There is also the other cost benefit - flying empty aircraft solely for training purposes is costly, and for many Carriers, the first time a trainee Pilot flies a "real" aircraft, it will be on a revenue-generating flight (i.e. with paying passengers).
@phishfearme2: My dad was a private pilot, and I became one too. He used to say "flying is hours and hours of sheer boredom, punctuated by moments of stark terror". Truer words were never spoken, and I can attest to that !
Excellent upload - thank you !!
It always hits close to home whenever I see ANY air disaster of ANY type!!! I was a student pilot and I lost my flight instructor in a plane crash! He had gone up to rate an experienced pilot ( who was rating IFR- instrument flight rating) in IFR conditions. The pilot to be rated owned the airplane they were flying in. There were actually 3 pilots involved in the crash. One instructor whom I had briefly flown with, my permanent instructor, and the owner of the aircraft in question. They took the aircraft up in very poor weather conditions with low visibility. Worse yet the area in which we are talking about is mountainous. Eye witnesses say that they saw the aircraft try to descend below the cloud cover before quickly going back up. They say a loud noise was heard and then they saw the aircraft falling uncontrollably from the sky with one wing before crashing! That was a Tuesday. I had just flown with one of the pilots that Monday ( my temporary instructor- as my permanent one was off flying a charter that day) At the end of my Monday flight, I had asked the instructor to mark me down for a flight for that Friday. Anyway, my work schedule forced me to cancel for the rest of the week. Wednesday I tried calling to cancel, but got no answer from the flight school. I went over there, but no one was in the office. It was around lunchtime, so I decided to wait. In the meantime, I went up the road to the tower area. They had a small exhibition with a few vintage aircraft. I got to talking with one of the ramp guys( an aircraft tug driver). The airport manager came out and spoke to him. I overheard them discussing a crash that had taken place the previous day. I butted in asking about the crash. That’s when I got the news about it and the inhabitants of the aircraft! I was in total shock!! It wasn’t until I saw coverage about it in the news, that it finally sunk in about their deaths!! It was extremely surreal seeing the wreckage!! It also took me a while to work myself back into even wanting to get on ANY plane. I finally did because if I didn’t I be forever afraid to fly in ANYTHING!!!
That was horrifying, those people never had a chance since things were really chaotic at that airport, that sad day.
KLM is to blame. Period
i love the thumbnail
A grim reminder of the importance of good communication in aviation
Yes, indeed.
What a horrible heartbreaking disaster. You pilots and air traffic control have (etc) have such brutal jobs. It requires impeccable perfection which is virtually impossible, but you guys do a great job!
Horrendous. Ive been there, no mention of the controller in the tower listening to a football match on his radio at the time. A boeing 727 from Manchester also crashed heading to that airport after being diverted from the southern airport because of fog, air traffic controll were partly to blame for that too.
A very sad incident, i was 15 when it happened and etched in my memory forever. This video gave a proper perspective to understand the same. This incident is also covered in detail how chain of events lead to irrational behaviour - Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori & Brafman Brafman & Rom Brafman.
14:06 Can you even imagine the terror of looking out your (Pan Am) window and seeing the KLM barreling toward you at 260km/h?
Thinking about the helplessness and panic those passengers felt before they died...it put one hell of a lump in my throat.
Yes.😥
I remember this crash as a kid. My dad worked for TWA at the time and he was extremely disturbed that night and couldn't sleep. Airline crashes were the worst for employees also. To many bad things all lined up for those pilots that day.