Tenerife Airport DISASTER! | Crash Of The Century | Mayday: Air Disaster
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- Опубликовано: 31 мар 2022
- March 27, 1977. At 2pm in the afternoon, a thick fog rolled into the usually quiet Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands where a terrible tragedy was about to unfold.
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On the runway sat two fully loaded jumbo airliners, blanketed in fog. An explosion at a nearby airport had redirected air traffic to the undermanned airfield at Tenerife. Within three hours 583 people would be dead.
To explain how it happened, Crash of the Century reconstructs the moments leading up to this devastating event.
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More premieres! Live chats are entertaining!
Why can't the planes take off the other way?
@@steveclapper5424 Probably because of the wind direction.
Great video, great job,but I wish this story NEVER happen.😳🇬🇧
@@steveclapper5424 planes have to take off into the wind to get maximum lift for take off. But given ATC directed the pilots to taxi down rwy 12 to turn around to take off rwy 30, there must have been enough of a head wind to not have aircraft take off on rwy 12.
These shows are great to watch while you're inside a plane waiting to take off.
They should do it on every flight. Make that a law.
Ha ha NO this Terrifying on a fucking plane
Safe travels ♥️
😂😂
😂😂😂
Just remember guys, it's better to be late than causing a deadly event.
Better late than “never”
I completely agree; every time we travel we take Timeframes with a grain of salt; nothing is so important that we can't wait and make sure that all is safe.
I wanted to safe time driving my bycicle on the wrong street side. A car nearly killed me. For saving 5 minutes of time I was away from work for 4 Months with a permanently damaged knee....
@@robinreliant8888you just made this more scarier😬
better to stay away from planes
It's insane how terrible decision made by 1 pilot led to immeasureable pain and suffering.
I actually feel really sorry for him. We've all been Captain van Zantan and made terrible decisions, but not all of us had to spend the last ten seconds of our lives contemplating not only our own deaths, but the deaths of hundreds of others, knowing full well we were fully responsible.
@@man8785I cannot. We often do not have multiple people at any given moment relying on our competence to live another day. The pilot decided to go against everything he’d learnt.
@@PsychologicalApparition Fair enough.
It s a possibility that there were problems in the frequencies in the radios....
@@PsychologicalApparition well he looks really bad in this documentary and yes he made mistakes but there were other factors that played a role in it too and I think the documentary showed very well how complex the situation overall was. I mean it's not as if he did all of this on purpose and there has to be a reason he was regarded a top-tier pilot probably not only at KLM but in the world back then.
Only thing that frightens me is that even up to this day radio problems could occur when multiple participants are speaking at the same time on the same frequency as it seemingly was the case here.
Narrator is straight cold.
“He takes them back to their plane, and as it happens, to their deaths.”
😂😂💀
53 kids.
Damn man that's probably the only smile I've ever had about this disaster
Yes, there is always more than just one factor that leads to accidents like this, but the KLM captain was 90% at fault here. He didn’t have clearance to take off and he did it anyway when he couldn’t see in front of him. Not to mention, he just had to refuel before leaving which had both jets leaving in worse weather than if he had refueled where he was supposed to. This is very frustrating.
I Totally Agree With You Mam 100%
Might I add that KLM’s new rules didn’t help either. I’m sure that their new working hours policy likely led the Captain to rush and crash his plane.
Things is he thought he did have clearance
Not to mention the fact that the KLM captain behaved like an ass!
@@Owen_loves_Butters And I think im high, even though I don't do drugs. All actions in a responsible environment must be confirmed. That is why when doing checklists, many pilots actually say what they're doing.
This makes me appreciate my flight being cancelled due to fog.
What’s really eerie is that if you look in the hanger with the nearly 600 coffins. You can very clearly see people who initially survived the accident but later died. You can see one dead passenger wrapped in bandages from head to toe. Obviously that person got to a hospital but later died and was brought back to the hangar to wait with the other deceased passengers. Just creepy. You can even see what looks like an IV pole.
I feel so bad for the marshal who found the children. He probably blames himself for their deaths, even though it wasn't his fault.
Captain Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten killed everybody!!!!
God bless him.
omg
Never forget that the fog was so thick rescuers couldn't see a burning 747!
But the flames would melt away the fog.
@@grassysands8857 They had to take off. Too many flights had been delayed. Stranded passengers were crowded into the terminal.
The airlines were losing money for every hour of delay.
@@grassysands8857 NO. Don't blame the airline and airport authorities. 583 people died solely because of Van Zanten's reckless disregard of safety regulations. Blame him.
and it follows that the KLM jet didn't have minimums for takeoff!
@@reynaldoflores4522🤓
The irony of this accident, as found out later through studies of the events leading up to this accident, is that had the KLM jet NOT refueled at Tenerife, it was far more likely to have been able to get in the air (and thus clear the PanAm flight). But the extra fuel meant the plane was heavier and required more time to take off (more runway).
And here we talk about destiny.. One thing changes the entire outcome. I do wounder how many times a certain action have saved airlines ... But then again, you can't blame certain person for something. Companies sometimes require you to break rules for $$$$. When accident do happens, companies tops moves in mysterious ways.
Not to mention that the time that would have been saved by either taking less fuel or waiting to refuel would have meant they'd have had much better visibility for takeoff.
so many things that on their own wouldn't have led to the disaster. The airplanes were redirected to Tenerife, but they could've been redirected elsewhere. KLM making the rule of strict hours pilots could fly, probably to prevent overworked pilots that might make mistakes, but it backfired in this case. The radios canceling literally every message that could've cleared the misunderstanding. It's crazy how a 1 in a million coincidence can still happen.
And the fuel caused a deadly inferno. God forgive him
After this accident a type of training was born which is Crew Resource Management or Cockpit Resource Management, what investigators learned from this accident and also as human beings, even the most senior or highly trained crew members can make mistakes, nobody's perfect.
With CRM I don't care how senior or junior you are in the cockpit. I don't care if you're a captain, senior first officer, first officer, or second officer flying an airliner is teamwork.
Whoever plays cap. Jacob van Zanten in this is really a brilliant actor! The sarcasm and his tone of voice is just great😂
Boy does he look like Nigel Farage
@@The_Voice_of_Reason748 I was just going to say that.
Sadly, this is exactly what van Zanten was like.
Jacob van zanten actor micheal Hofland
Captain van zanten really name micheal hofland
That Robina and Paul are still together is true love,,she was saved from a fiery death by defying “orders” and not getting on the plane. She was the only person on the KLM flight who lived. Her friends and all on the plane died. How awful . I wish them every happiness.
Robina died December 2020.
@@joinjen3854 that is sad, I know everyone dies but when it’s someone who survived when all others died because she was in love makes her love story all the more memorable.
@@Soffity Robina was in her late 60s. Still too young but I do not think it was covid related, although doctors like to put that as there is $$$ in c vid deaths.....
@@joinjen3854 The Flu is relentless.
@@joinjen3854 Nice to turn the poor woman’s death political. I’d imagine the stress, PTSD, depression and guilt affected her life expectancy. Maybe she had cancer. Maybe she was hit by a bus. RIP Robina 😇
This is a perfect yet sad example to teach/show someone, what the consequences are if you don’t question authority! Done correctly is always appreciated.
True, but the flight engineer on the KLM did question the Capt about whether the Pan Am was clear of the runway, but the Capt brushed him off. Since then procedures were put into place to counteract this from happening again, with better cockpit resource management.(Just in case you didn't know ) : )
@@kevinmalone3210 Also as a result of the UAL 1978 DC-8 crash in Portland. I believe UAL173, I always confuse the number with 177.
@@isabellind1292 right?!
@@isabellind1292 It didn't paint a remotely true picture.
@@kevinmalone3210 Although it is named "crew resource management" to broaden its application beyond aviation.
There's one important detail that went unmentioned. Notice the overlapping radio communication depicted at 53:39. Because of this the KLM crew were unable to hear two crucial messages: the controller telling KLM "stand by for takeoff, we will call you" and PanAm emphatically declaring that they were still on the runway. Another tragic coincidence. But a moment later, as KLM started its takeoff roll, they did hear PanAm say "We'll report when we're clear". This prompted the KLM flight engineer to timidly express concern, which was brushed off by Captain van Zanten. As others here have said, despite all of these unlucky incidents, van Zanten's recklessness is ultimately to blame.
I heard that too from other sources - when 2 try to transmit at once, it transmits an error tone that blocks out both transmissions on the other end. I hope it no longer works that way.
I heard the same. Another documentary pointed this out.
This captain had developed an attitude problem while waiting to take off again.
That also happends when a person thinks he or she is a God.
@@ExploreGamesAndMore On another documentary, they said it does still work that way.
We used a similar radio system when I drove semi and our transmissions were constantly interrupted. We called it being walked on. Switched to a digital radio and it no longer happened. Once someone keyed in the mic, it disabled everyone else's mics. Dunno if that's possible to do for airlines.
Man it sucks watching this knowing exactly what's gonna happen, you wish you could prevent it but you can't
I am thinking the exact same thing, as I watch….😢
Same here man
for real. i was practically screaming at my screen
Same thoughts here. I remember this accident from my childhood, remember seeing the burnings planes in year book of 1977 etc.
Now I revisited this accident by viewing this, and like with many other documentaries, you still wish it would end well, even if you know the end result.
@BlackStar250874 it like when you watch the Titanic, you're hoping they can avoid the iceberg even tho we know what the outcome is.
Sadly, so many of the survivors interviewed here have since passed away. Erma Schlecht died in 2009, Dr. Karen Anderson in 2012, and co-pilot Robert Bragg in 2017. Capt. Victor Grubbs died in 1995 and Flight Engineer George Warns also passed away in the 1990s. Warren Hopkins' wife Caroline, also a survivor, died a few years back. Not sure about Warren himself.
Aw that's unfortunate they seemed like good people
You forgot Robina. She also passed away a few years back.
When did this episode first aired?
@@Democracy_Officer2 all of them are. the only perpetrator here is the murderer captain on the KLM disregarding safety
Not to be terribly indelicate but most of the people you mention look to be at least 40 (the actors, as well as the interviewees). So if they were at least 40 in 1977, that means the youngest would be pushing 90 now.
I would like to pick up that accordingly 75% of the injured were transported by cab drivers and privateers- those are the heroes here in my book together with the hospitals staff.
Are an Author who has written 'bout this?
@@advikrajaani Channon Christian - Medical Examiner's testimony.
Being an ATC officer makes me feel how worse a situation can get within seconds if rules are not followed properly and ignored. You can't ignore a single rule otherwise things can get worse beyond your imagination.
I respect you guys a lot.
Is it true your job is very stressful?
The sole person who got off the KLM flight( because she lived near Tenerife) passed away in 2021. RIP Robina. I believe she had survivors guilt watching her 2 friends burn to death.
@joinjen where did you learn of her passing? I tried to find something on it and came up empty
@@tvb1020 it is international news. She got off so the only survivor of KLM. Died in 2020, I do not think it was covid. Just put her name in any search engine........
@@grassysands8857 Robina literally was at the airport during the collision.
@@beholdtheman3161the part where she got off the klm flight wasn’t made up
I've boarded a plane about 30 times and I never give it much thought. Videos like these really make one think. They shock you to consider the nearness of eternity.
That point of impact must've been blood-chilling for the cockpit crew. I can't imagine.
How many times have you driven in MURICA and thought about killing people or getting yourself killed? You'd have way way way way more chance dying like that rather than dying in an air crash, even in the 70s.
What happened to the ATC guys did they quit?
@@JustinMacri007they hung themselves in the bathroom
The actor that played the Captain of the KLM flight did a great job of portraying him as the complete ass that he was. That Captain’s arrogance and sense of entitlement due to his rank contributed to all those deaths!
KLM considered him their #1 pilot and featured him in their advertising!
@@povertyspec9651 are you actually on his side?
@@mustsee715 I really don’t see how you think that comment illustrates any opinion on him from the poster, it was a very neutral statement. The dude was arrogant BECAUSE he was airlines poster boy, he thinks he can do no wrong due to his status. This is just added more context to @/Charlies comment.
@@PicGirl904 while agree...they said they called him to investigate the flight because he was experienced 🙄 and that good later on to find out it was him
@@povertyspec9651 Maybe that's the reason why he became so conceited!
As a dutch person it's sad to see how the KLM pilot handled the situation. The PAN AM was at no fault in my opinion. I'm glad to see this video and reassure myself that asking permission (sometimes twice) to authorities isn't a bad thing after all. Clarify the information and erase the emotions by data and logical thinking. Even as a dutch person who was born far beyond this accident. Watching this video today nauseates me and gave me a feeling of guilt. Some people are very confident of their ways. but sometimes too confident so it seems.
Thank you, but you don't need to feel guilt.
I can hear you on that feeling of guilt of the past mistakes of those who came before us. I would encourage you to challenge the feeling of guilt as you were not responsible nor played any role and instead reframe it as a lesson on how and what you can do to be better and it seems you are already working towards that path which in my opinion is the best way to give true voice to those who were lost. ^_^
Im Dutch too but dont feel any guilt for a mistake made that doesnt involve me. Sure what happened is bad and shouldnt happen again. Whos fault it was doesnt matter anymore
This episode shows one perspective of what happened and makes KLM look pretty bad but you know that air crashes are never caused by just one problem. What pilot isn’t concerned about getting somewhere on time and who hasn’t had a frustrating day. It seems the programme is reluctant to point out that Spanish authorities did everything possible to shut down the investigation and wanted the convenient excuse of blaming an impatient pilot.
It didn't help that Captain Van Zanten had spent more time training than actually flying and as such gave the atc clearances in the simulator. That would lead to at least a subconscious attitude of 'I'm the boss, I give the clearances ", which he would have to fight against when back behind the controls of a real plane.
Every time I see this episode I tear up when the doctor recounts how she tried to help even as she was about to go into a coma. The selfless dedication that is the finest tradition of the medical profession on display.
Patience is a valuable virtue guys
Can you imagine, an experienced pilot from KLM managed to cause the biggest accident from the aviation history of not listening to the ATC tower.
Didnt the tower say the runway was clear?
@@clxud5190 they asked pan am to report when they left the runway hence "report runway clear"
I love how human this account of the crash is. You usually only hear of the event and timetable declared after the fact but, getting the eyewitness accounts adds humanity to it from different perspectives from their notions as they lived it and not realizing the magnitude yet, survived to tell the tale. It gives more scale to the tragedy which needs to be shown more often in aviation disasters with survivors. Sometimes numbers, bodies and evidence isn't enough for some people to focus on aircraft safety until it makes a dent in someone's pocket. Sad. That damn captain is evidence of the watch is more important than lives.
Yeah, but it's way to Hallmarky, they did say "peckish" though, which was certainly nice?
Is anyone going to talk about the tour guy onboard the Pan Am? He was a very nice guy, giving other passengers comfort that they would make it to the Golden Odyssey.
@@davidbailey6917 he was nice but cheesy AF 😂😂
Cool, what else do you love?
Apart from the weather, communication issues and an ill equipped airport which was never meant to receive those planes in the first place, the KLM and the Dutch are 98% responsible for this accident, beaurecratic pressures like threats of penalties as severe as revoking pilots licenses for exceeding flight times. A toxic work environment created by an arrogant egocentric pilot who was too accustomed to getting his way because of the God status embellished on him that he felt he could flaunt the rules as he deemed fit, not surprises things ended they way they did. I never complain when my flight is delayed, it's better to be late than to never arrive at all.
Actually Captain Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten killed everybody
It appears he was a miserable person who killed all these passengers
My thoughts the same. Yes, we can blame the fog, the KLM pilot and so on but the real deal here are the rules of KLM company. The girl who wanted to stay in Tenerife was denied her right to don't continue her flight by the same company rules. I mean, really? The rules about the pilots were really strict and definitely put more stress on the pilots. I really hope their rules are different now comparing with their rules from 1977.
Did you know the captain personally?
Rest in peace to all those who were lost due to mistakes or mechanical malfunctions. Resulting in much safer and stricter air travel today. You will never be forgotten.
There was no mechanical malfunction lol
There were no mechanical malfunctions. It was all human error.
Captain Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten Killed everybody
Apparently he had a death wish
@@w16521 i think theyre just talking about fatalities of every single plane crash, hence "mistakes *or* mechanical malfunctions"
I haven't seen it mentioned, but after this tragedy, controllers were adamantly forbidden to transmit the word "takeoff" unless contained in an actual takeoff clearance. This one had said, "hold for takeoff." Apparently the KLM pilot only heard the word "takeoff" and understood it as a clearance to take off.
Aside from this horrific crash, I learned pilots would actually wait for passengers who were lallygagging inside the terminal. What a different world it was!
Could it have something to do with Internationals, like being responsible for not leaving Dutch persons behind, in another country..?
@@l.baileyjean3719 I’m sure that’s the case - was just a comparative observation. 😉
Meanwhile now they will not wait and will unload the passenger's luggage
They never wait for me...I missed uncalculated flights like that..
Nowadays the plane wouldn't wait. If you don't show up at the gate, then you're on your own and good luck!
This video is by far my favorite of all the Mayday Biographies, so well done and such extensive footage and information
The comforting thing about disasters like this is that they spend so much time figuring out how to prevent it from happening again. This one changed aviation around the world forever, as officials outlined a very specific way of communicating between pilots and atc. Every time you get in a plane, you can trust that your pilots have trained for hours on incidents just like this one so they can prevent it from happening again.
The biggest irony in all this is that the captain of the KLM plane, VanZanten, was KLM's chief of flight training and one of their most senior pilots, and he had conducted the Boeing 747 qualification check on the co-pilot just two months before. He was such a hotshot for KLM that his photo was featured in their publicity materials, and in the early hours after the crash KLM wanted him to help with the investigation, not realizing that he was the one who caused it.
Becomes the man who caused deadliest aviation disaster
Thank God, someone who knows how to use "irony" correctly.
feel bad for Robina for losing her co-workers/friends and possibly having survivors guilt and then that family of 4 that could've been saved if the airline isn't pushy about getting all passengers on schedule when planes can be missed
Every time I watch this story. I have nothing but anger toward the KLM pilot. He was a self righteous, pompous ass! In my opinion, I hold him 100% accountable for this disaster.
I feel complete sorrow for the loss of life that happened on this gloomy day.
simulator syndrome could have impaired him
Facts. One person caused the lives of hundreds of others.
Same here.
I certainly agree. I found myself getting mad at how arrogant and careless the KLM pilot was, killing all those people, just because he was irritable and didn't want to miss dinner. If he had not perished, I would expect for him to receive the strongest penalty by law. He murdered those people because of his selfishness.
While I agree that he bears the vast majority of the blame here, remember that this is a dramatic reenactment--emphasis on dramatic--where they're going out of their way to present him in the worst way possible.
It is amazing this crash has held the title of the worst in history for 45 years running.
How is it amazing? It's an empirical fact.
because air travel has improved and become safer ever since
So it wasn't a series of unfortunate events and miscommunication, but 1 impatient pilot who didn't wait for take off clearance.
That banter between the pilots was brutal.
Yeah this is a dramatic reconstruction, what did you expect? They had no access to the actual CVR, which is very possibly different.
I live for it.
XD
@@Holland1994D I expect something slightly better than Paul Stanley in KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park
@@Holland1994D The words spoken are actually accurate to the CVR, except maybe the part where the KLM pilot begs the plane to lift off. The delivery is a little rough, but for the production value I think they did the best they could
Yeah it was cheesy af.
The background music design on this episode is masterful.
Although there were many contributing factors to this tragedy, I still feel that the KLM Captain bears the majority of the responsibility for what happened.
The KLM airline as well. Maybe if they hadn’t been so strict on the regulations he wouldn’t have felt the pressure to leave sooner.
By a slight margin
I was at this airport in February. It was impossible for me not to think of this while I was there.
This is the only documentary I've seen that mentions the lone KLM survivor. I didn't even know that there were any survivors from that plane until watching this!
She wasn’t a survivor, she didn’t reboard the flight, otherwise she would have died also!!
@@zekeonstormpeak4186 still a survivor tbh
@@icandesire Sad that they found the other family before takeoff.
Which documentaries have you been watching? I’ve seen several here on RUclips that mention a passenger of the KLM survived because she didn’t reboard the flight. Mentor Pilot, Disaster Breakdown, The Flight Channel to name a few.
There was NO KLM survivors.
This is the best production of this disaster. Glad it's re-upped. 👍
The acting is ON POINT
the person how played van zanten micheal hofland
The only person responsible for this accident was the KLM pilot it wasn’t a accident this pilot didn’t wait for clearance period. This was a pilot who had anger issues and his ego and arrogance killed hundreds of people this was one pilot who had no business being able to fly. He differently had issues that needed professional help very unstable.
He acted this way, because of KLM's rules. He does not want to suffer the consequences and he was treated as KLM's star pilot. His ego and arrogance was created by this. He hadn't flown for months since he was either at the studio or in the simulators.
Because of van zaheten even co pilot that warned him and passengers and crew members died
@@masterdakshgamerzthe Copilot messed up just as much
In 1979, I began contracting to Eastern Air Lines to co-pilot 727 repositioning flights on my 'newly minted ATPL'. During the five years that I flew for EAL, I managed to ferry many Pan Am personnel between MIA and JFK, or BOS. I was informed on two occasions, that one of the flight attendants had recently returned to the skies after a prolonged recovery from the Tenerife Disaster. I was very impressed by the stories I heard about Pan Am taking such great care of their staff members.
That day NOBODY should have been allowed to take off until fog was completely clear. Period
Taking off in fog shouldn't be too difficult for good pilots . It's landing in fog that's really dicey.
@@reynaldoflores4522/
That’s a CRAZY statement! You ARE assuming the runway is clear. You may know that runway AND SO be familiar with the takeoff, BUT you don’t know what is on the runway at any given moment if you can’t see past your nose.
Truth be told, this is a very well-put-together documentary.
True, I really felt the terror and pain.
I have read all of the official reports concerning this crash it seems perfectly clear that the pompous Dutch pilot was totally at fault. I have listened to the tower dialogue numerous times and there was no misleading or confusion in the ATC orders given to the Dutch pilot. He was the proximate cause of this crash.
But this clutz was the catalyst for the establishment of standardized communication protocols and the all important crew resource management.
It was the 1970s. Everything was still new. These passengers gave their lives so the future generation could be better protected from pompous incompetent shitheels that had the lives of hundreds of people in their hands. Something like this simply won’t happen again.
It was horrifically tragic, but it was part of the growing pains of a burgeoning, highly advanced and thus highly dangerous industry and life changing mode of transportation for the entire human race.
We must NEVER FORGET the sacrifice of these early airplane passengers and crew. Their sacrifice has saved countless upon countless of future lives!!!!
He was in a huury .
There was a lot of confusion in the orders, there were language barriers, unclear language, radio interference...
There were many HUGE incentives to take off as soon as possible (KLM regulations, wanting to comfort family...)
There were many other things (unprofessional ATC, the wrong exit being used, the dense and spotty fog, the fact that this pilot flew mostly in simulators...)
Point is, you can never put blame on a single person for these accidents. People in the comments calling the KLM captain impatient, reckless, or whatever else, don't understand the real world circumstances involved here. Yes, it's obvious that the KLM captain SHOULD have asked to confirm. But that's only obvious in retrospect. "Better safe than sorry" doesn't really apply here, considering there WERE consequences if he DIDN'T take off.
@@Owen_loves_Butters Consequences of not taking off is far less fatal than what happened eventually. No one is denying those factors, but it is still clear he is has a large contribution to the accident. Crew Resource Management's implementation was accelerated in the wake of this accident.
@@dbclass4075 He has **A** contribution to this accident, not the main cause.
The KLM captain was rude to his entire crew. Even to the flight attendants. And the way he snapped at the PanAm captain was unprofessional. Just because he asked how long it would take for KLM to refuel. That's just uncalled for.
The PanAm may have been on the runway too long, but it still wasn't their fault. If you aren't given clearance to go, then you don't go. The KLM captain recklessly took off without the say so. Even if the accident hadn't happened, he was setting bad example for the rest of the flight crew.
Yeah, it could've been this KLM Capt was tired, and therefore irritable.
@@myguykaikai9215 Because the only times the KLM crew spoke English was when they were talking to the tower or the PanAm. The rest of the time they spoke Dutch, so that would require a lot of subtitles.
@@kevinmalone3210 thing was this particular captain had a reputation for being difficult to work with a lot of his fellow crew members feared him and never wanted to say anything to him even if they though he was doing something wrong and that is not how a cockpit should work at all you need to have a calm and easy environment because when it becomes hostile things like this can quite easily occur
@@surgeon1016 Yes. Tension always rises when you are working with someone you don't like in a small area for 8+ hours. :)
I'm pretty sure he had to be worse that he was portrayed, and his records and history weren't even questioned in this gratuosly overly long video.
I only wish the KLM pilot could have been flogged for his stupidity before the crash. Might have prevented this accident.
Yeah. He loaded too much gas and took off without ATC clearance
When the pilot asked for takeoff clearance, ATC gave them directions for after they took off, and they used the word "takeoff", making the pilot think they were clear for takeoff. You have to understand the circumstances. The captain was risking exceeding his flight hours, which would result in a massive legal headache. Weather was worsening. The controller didn't speak English very well. There's never a single cause for a disaster, ever. It's always a series of events.
@@Owen_loves_Butters yes, but there’s something to be said for proximate cause. I would never want to discourage pilots and staff from self-reporting, but at the same time, Piloot Van Zanten was /wildly/ irresponsible
+@@Owen_loves_Butters Hogwash. The Flying Dutchman could not wait 3-5 minutes in the fog. 3-5 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@BloodyApril You could say the same thing about any runway incursion.
The fact that he refueled and added more weight to the ✈️, after knowing they were at a regional airport which indicated the runways were much shorter. But he was so determined to not spend the night that he forced the take off. This was not anyone’s fault except the Dutch captain. Everyone else were in the cross fire 🔥.
Another pilot made a documentary about it, and he said that the decision to fuel up was 100% and without question absolutely legitimate and understandable, and a lot of pilots would have done the same thing. If you already expect to be stuck there for a while, why not use the time to take care of something you'd need to do anyway
My mother and grandmother died that day, they were flying aboard the Pan Am plane. Their remains were never identified, buried in Westminster Cemetary with hundreds of others. I have no words.....
Rip
I'm so very sorry for your tragic loss.
my little sister died on that plane rip dad my dad was van zanten i miss him
The last flight I took was traveling with my brother. He knew I was not a fan of flying and set his laptop computer in front of me and turned on a movie. “Sully”.
At least everybody survived in that movie, would have been worse if it was “Flight” or “Flight of the Phoenix.”
@@ChickenLiver911 Or any of the 'Airport' movies of the 1970s! One actually came out not long after this accident (Airport '77).
Everytime I watch a video or read about this tragedy, I'm once again forced to relive the absolute horror of this awful day. My aunt & uncle had gone to Australia to visit her family & instead of returning via San Diego & flying across country to NC, they had decided to return by way of Hong Kong & take a Pan Am plane from there to New York, then on to NC. Knowing that they were on a Pan Am flight & knowing that one of their stops was in the Canary Islands, we didn't have the flight number. When we heard about the Teniriffe crash, like so many other families, we contacted Pan Am, who were most cooperative, but it was 28 hours before we finally found out that they were on a Pan Am flight that was diverted to Tenariffe, but were not aboard a 747 & had actually flown out before the wreck! On March 27th of every year since, I always say a prayer for all those who passed away in this terrible accident & thank God for the lives that were spared. To this day, I can't help but cry whenever I am reminded of the thousands of lives who were touched by this tragedy.
This is the ultimate case of lots of little things going wrong and adding up to one major catastrophe, a nightmare blueprint for disaster. RIP, all victims of this tragedy.
May be the most terrifying demonstration of "better late than never."
Many unusual events had to happen for this tragedy to unfold - but in the final few moments - where the quality of communication between both crews and the tower was poor - there is still usually a visual failsafe for flight crews to rely on - that being line of sight down the runway - which was cut off due to heavy fog !! Bottom line is under those conditions - you simply do not start a takeoff run until you have absolute positive confirmation the other jet is completely clear of the runway.
that is why instrumentation exists... passenger pilots don't fly purely on visual sight.
@@ChristopherGray00 That's why pepperoni exists, I don't rely purely on cheese pizza.
Taking off without permission is a definite no no, and in this case it was the cause of the disaster.
When the pilot asked for takeoff clearance, ATC gave them directions for after they took off, and they used the word "takeoff", making the pilot think they were clear for takeoff. You have to understand the circumstances. The captain was risking exceeding his flight hours, which would result in a massive legal headache. Weather was worsening. The controller didn't speak English very well. There's never a single cause for a disaster, ever. It's always a series of events.
@@Owen_loves_Butters He was the top pilot for the airline, and should have known what to listen for, yes there are other issues that caused the crash but he is the main cause.
@@jonporter7709 Easy for you to say, you aren't at risk of paying a fine if you don't take off soon.
@@jonporter7709 Plus, he thought he did have clearance, since the ATC used the word "takeoff". They even said to ATC that they were taking off, and the controller responded "Okay... standby for takeoff clearance", but the part after "okay" was interrupted by the Pan Am saying they weren't yet clear, so the pilot heard neither.
@@Owen_loves_Butters Well first off. the captain should not have worried about exceeding the flight hours over risking 300 goddamn lives! Second of all, the first officer and the other engineer knew the captain was doing wrong so that makes the Captain totally responsible for the disaster. It was probably one of the worst situations to be in considering the drastic change in weather and the limited space for aircraft, but the KLM Captain was dead wrong in his decision making.
What they also left out in this, is that Capitan Grubs actually wanted to wait at the base of the runway until the KLM had taken off, then after they had left, Pan-am would backtrack down the runway, and do the same as the KLM.
Interesting how Walter, the Dutch travel guide ,stated he had a bad feeling about all this.
To be fair, I'd also be agitated seeing that amount of planes in a seemingly small airport
Yes, that much congestion, combined with an arrogant captain plus heavy fog, I probably would have joined Robina. Arrest me, but that would be better than being injured or killed in that mess.
Long but the very best documentary on this subject. Holds your attention. Very well done. Highly recommend! Peace & Blessings to all
For the people saying still curious/arguing who is to blame.
According to an excerpt of the official Reports.
KLM's Readback of the Departure Route ended at 1706:17.79 with the transmission ending at " And we're no... at take-off"
and at 1706:18.9 Tower responded with "Ok.. Stand by for Take-off we'll ,Call you" which ended on 1706:21.79
But an iconic "Squeal" Can be heard from 1706:19.39 up to 1706:22.06 which is caused by Pan Am's Transmission of "We are still on the runway" which is irelevant (read furthet down).
Shortly right after on 1706:21.92 Pan am calls tower saying " Clipper 1736" ending at 1706:23.39
With tower replying With an order for Pan am to report when they clear the runway. ending at 1706:28.92
with Pan Am Replying with " Ok.. we'll report when we're clear" ending at 1706:30.69
That's atleast 13 seconds from the reply of KLM of the Clearance. 7 Seconds of which is about Pan Am's position. Which should be enough for any Pilot or Captain to doubt a Take-off Clearance.
Also According to the report the major points of the accident was this.
1. Taking off without Clearance.
2. The KLM Captain disobeying the Standby for take-off call by ATC. (Which remained un-acknowledge since KLM's take-off roll has started 6 and a half seconds prior to the ATC's order for standby)
3. Didn't Stop his take-off roll upon hearing Pan Am is still on the runway.
4. Didn't took a second to Clarify his Flight engineers query as to wether Pan Am was clear of the runway or not, instead, I quote "replied empathically with affirmative".
6. Pan Am Getting confused with their exit , and did not ask if they needed to Exit via C-3 or C-4, which deemed to be irelevant since Pan Am never reported to be clear of the runway , on the contrary advised on multuple occasions that they were still on the runway.
7. The KLM Refueling.
Contrary to the video the KLM's Captain has started his Take-off procedure while his First Officer is reading back the clearance which prompted to First Officer saying "and we're now at take-off" .
Pan Am understood that the KLM Pilots misunderstood the ATC Clearance as a "Take-Off" Clearance, Pan Am quickly and responded with "We are still on the Runway."
Captain Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten killed everybody
He hated everybody apparently .. not sure why
i'm not reading all that. Van Zant is responsible.
The other pilot is responsable too
@@mounaberkia9995how
@mounaberkia9995 why is he responsible?
This was excellent from beginning to end! Bravo. What a story. Heart rendering, but wonderfully done.
Fr
That wasn't a wonderful story at all! It was the most upsetting air disaster to watch from the safety of our home.
Every moment I watch this, I feel so sorry for everything they went through.😢❤😢❤😢
I have like many here in Europe been to the Canary Islands on vacation. It is a treat. Most people aren’t aware of this 77 accident, but it has always intrigued me. On a tour bus they spoke of the accident. I loved that. To most others it was news. I wanted grim details, but was only told the basics I already knew. Still. Being there made me feel and think hard about what they went through.
I couldn't even begin to know what was going through those people's minds knowing they were going down.
As long as it wasn't me in the tragedy LOL !
I always think about the passengers on the 9/11 flights. They had to know they were going to crash, what were their thoughts?
@@rachelmartin3631 the difference here is that 9/11 was a deliberate terrorist attach whereas this was more of a tragic accident.
Apart from the pilots I don’t think many if any of the passengers would have known they are going down. Certainly not the KLM people. (Cause they we moving head on ). I don’t think they had any time to think anything much really before the plane exploded. It was a matter of seconds.
People on the American planet might’ve had a bit more time to think by a few seconds but yeah …. Not much. Probably just surprise and initial shock before anything happened.
@@nigelmurphy6761 attack*
So much vintage 70s footage. Very good.
It still pains me to think of 70s as being "vintage", but time marches on. And sometimes it marches across your face...
The first of several movies on the disaster. This one is superior and shows everything very clearly, even the two Jumbo's were genuine.
I went there nine months after the disaster and the circumstances were equal, the fog, the bad visability. Parts of the grass were still blackened and the runway very bad repaired yet...
There are about 5 videos on this disaster, but this is the only one that portrays the poor attitude and behaviour of Van Zanten which was directly responsible. These type of things can get covered up, but someone has felt the need to stand up and be counted here.
@@aj6954 Owen Todd? He is consistent about that even now.
You went there? Was there still wreckage or had the accident site been cleared up?
The accident site had been cleared up.
I believe this is the only movie that focuses on one crash that mayday has actually even done.
Many thanks! For upgrade this video been looking forward for so long!
Much appreciated
This was soooooo sad 😥. I cried the whole time I'm so sorry for there lost.
What an irony, for saving just a few hours, van Zanten lost his life, and the another 582 lives with him.
A terrible tragedy, resulting in the worst airline disaster ever. So many lives lost. An interesting and well edited documentary.
The poor guys working at routing and rerouting these massive planes expressed themselves perfectly, and I’m sick of hearing native English speakers assume that people from other countries who communicate using the English language have problems doing so and…just because they were listening to a soccer game doesn’t mean they weren’t paying attention. The biggest flaw was rerouting thes planes to an ill-equipped airport. The other factors were bad enough but the airport was not suitable for the jumbo jets. Travellers have to pay attention to the political situation in a country they wish to visit.
yea. in that circumstance listening radio a bit may be relaxing because of much work on that day.
I agree--felt so bad seeing the ATC wondering if they were at fault. They did the best they could with very limited resources; much more could have gone wrong. Everything links back to the KLM Captain, imo. Also great point about paying attention to the political situation in countries you're travelling to--nowhere near enough people do so and it's infuriating.
I agree. This airport was not made for planes this size. They should have let planes that had fuel to circle. Ultimately it would have been ok if the Captain was more thorough and careful but the airport really was a major pitfall.
I completely agree and I’m English. I cringe when I go abroad and hear English people thinking that shouting at a non English speaker is a way to communicate!
Learn the language!!
I would put the blame for this occurrence at 60 percent the terrorist group and 40 percent Captain Van Zaten, the ATC guys did the best they could for a situation that nobody would envy.
This should be a case study and shown to all top level management personnel, especially in those fields where wrong decisions can lead to people loosing their lives....a real grim reminder of the consequences of putting ego first and making really bad decisions without any risk assessment of the situation.
Also serves as a reminder for young leaders getting into management roles to ALWAYS question authority!!!
Ego 1st is absolutely nothing more than speculation. Where are your critical thinking skills?
@@cchris874 It's more than speculation. There was a massive culture shift in the industry as a reaction to this incident and the flaws it revealed in the "trust the captain, he knows best" mentality.
@@Ryvaken
I've not heard that specifically for this event, but no doubt CRM brought in the culture shift you mention.
I'm not convinced ego was the primary cause of the crash.
@@cchris874I completely agree with you I feel that the airline industry needs to do a better job about addressing hours if certain circumstances occur things that they cannot control
I had to study this case for my aeronautic safety course to become an ATC. Ironically, my class gave only 60% fault to that one captain and the rest to a messy chain of events. One classmate even shouted "forget the kids! Their fault if they get left behind." He wanted to become an airline manager and none of use had seen that episode before.
I was 14 years old when this happened and remember it being announced on TV as a breaking 'newsflash'. Unlike today, where flying is generally considered very safe, in the 1970s, plane crashes(and hijackings) seemed to be an almost regular occurrence, but this one, a collision of two fully loaded jumbos on the ground, struck me as inexplicable and horrific. I also remember our local paper had a full, front page story of the disaster, including that very colour picture of the survivors of the Pan Am plane standing about in their shredded and charred clothing, watching stunned and in shock as the wreckage of their 747 burned in the background...in a pre-video era, this was a powerful image of an awful event! May the victims, and those survivors now deceased, all rest in peace!
I was also 14 years old when this happened, I remember the horrific pictures in the newspaper
This was so well done. Concern and prayers for all those involved. God Bless
Out of all the different circumstances that contributed to this horrific accident, I still contend that the klm pilot is the biggest component had he just waited this would not be in the history books. I always hear Pilots say "you don't have to be anywhere" he clearly broke that rule
Amazing how one pilot could cause such a disaster
They should fire him for causing such a disaster
@typo pit - They're are snotty scumbags?
With CRM I don't care how senior or junior you are in the cockpit. I don't care if you're a captain, senior first officer, first officer, or second officer flying an airliner is teamwork.
Lost communication, always means something is not going to go well. May God be with them people and their families..Amen
Thanks for posting this!
Robina and Paul must be soulmates. She was so lucky to not get on the plane
What shows here is a classic example of what we in Naval Air call “Get Homeitis”. The driver was more worried about his crew rest than safety.
The controller could have said “Turn left on to Charlie 4” That would have eliminated any ambiguity.
Charlie 3 looks like an impossible turn for a Four Seven.
@@anthonybanchero3072 - then there’s the 135 degree turn into the parallel taxiway. I doubt they could have made it.
I believe the controller didn’t know that taking taxiway 3 would’ve been impossible for a 74, he probably thought they could’ve done the turn fine. I feel really bad for him, he probably has guilt for all those killed.
I think you're right. A prop plane could've made the Charlie 3 turns...not a 747.
one mans arrogance caused all that destruction. because he couldnt wait all those people died.
what makes this worse is he was that companies "posterboy"
No that's wrong.
very well done. great combination of observable facts, weather, pilot error, design error, investigators, real witness interviews, and actor re-enactments.
Of all air disasters, this is the worst i have ever studied.
Remember, the plane is the safest means of transportation not despite, but thanks to disasters like this.
The mentality of never again has been beneficial for aviation safety.
Thing is it is very rare you get on a plane crash but if you do it is very rare you survive
@@MOMAZOSPATO Actually it depends on what counts as a crash. Some consider if the plane touches another plane it is a crash or if it leaves the runway it is a crash.
This wasn't so much a disaster as negligence to be honest. There's nothing to debate here, take-off clearance was not given, which was even acknowledged, but the KLM still tried to take off.
What lesson is there to learn here? "Don't take-off unless given clearance?" lmao
They call it 'Tombstone Technology'.
My understanding, something learned worldwide, from this disaster was Cockpit Resource Management (CRM). Gave more power for the First Officer to have a voice. The fog, small airport, lack of certain technology definitely had a bit to do with this disaster. However, the majority of the blame lies on the shoulders of the Dutch pilot, and the fear the company instilled in their pilots to get to the destination. May all RIP.
While not the source, it does greatly accelerate its implementation.
Have you heard the term 'Cross Cockpit Gradient'? That's what happened here. The pilot was so senior that the junior's didn't argue (enough). The say that's one of the reasons that Quantas has a good record, apparently Australians have no qualms about voicing their opinion, loudly.
@@chrisst8922 Cross Cockpit Gradient is one of the issues CRM is intended to address.
The lovely lady with the pearl necklace has the most "soothing relaxing" voice. That had to be the most scariest situation! God bless.x.
I had heard of this one in some detail before but never in this much and it breaks my heart more than I can say.....
This was very sad to watch as so many people were affected. It's hard to imagine how these controllers in a simple had to live with along with those who survived. The thing that stick is the KLM Captain who seemed to disregard the rules and take off on his own terms due the worry of making it to his next stop on time. This was a great depiction.
How much had the crew gone through that they can talk about this disaster calmly.... at least it seems that they are calm... especially the Co-pilot
No words can express my grief to what had happened to these souls and to those who survived but shadowed by the horrors of that day. I also express the same sympathy in the comments although we all knew the outcome we had hoped that it would have a different ending.
My deepest condolences.
583 people perished in this aviation disaster.
What a tragic tragic loss of life.
yes it is..
One of our family friends (parents friend) was on the Pam Am 747. He survived, only to be killed by hitting a deer and the deer coming through his windshield.
What was his name?
Very sad. We are not in control of our lives.
@@paullockwood4872 It was something like Pauldi (spelling?). I do not remember his last name.
Thank you. So sad.
Very sad
Saw several documentaries on this. One was with the photographer who took the famous photos of the Pan Am. He was with a documentary crew when they returned to the site in the 1990’s - there were still able to find tiny bits of wreckage to be found in the long grass around the airfield !!
Watching this episode brought me to tears.😢 Life is like a vapor. It can vanish in the twinkle of an eye
Hi from Australia 🇦🇺 My late Dad would of loved these shows as he was a Aircraft Engineer for over 20 years he loved his job! He passed in 1968 aged just 44! I remember Mum telling me that Dad said don't fly after 1977...as The more people were flying and the planes were getting faster...He did alot of testing too interstate too I remember very clearly he had to go every 6 weeks to be tested! I was only 11 when he passed 😢 These videos bring me closer to the Father I didn't know much about! My eldest Brother learnt to fly also I would often go flying with him am 66 now!
Mad respect for the cameraman filming inside the KLM and pan am and risking his life to get us live videos of the event.
What do you mean? Is there photo of the inside of the planes that day? please link.
@@cchris874 🤦🏾♂️
@@cchris874 r/wooooosoh
@@cchris874 Bro
@@grassysands8857 No he's not joking. I asked him personally.
Impatience has no place in the cockpit of a jumbo jet.
But it can happen even with the best of intentions.
It has always fascinated me how so many factors had to line up in order for this disaster to occur.