worst plane crash

On March 27, 1977, two Boeing 747 passenger jets, KLM 4805 and Pan Am 1736, collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport (now Tenerife North Airport) in Tenerife, Spain. The crash, which killed 583 people, was the deadliest in aviation history. A terrorist attack at Gran Canaria airport diverted many flights to Los Rodeos, including two downed planes. The airport was soon full of parked planes, blocking a single taxiway and directing departing planes onto the runway. Dense fog covered the airfield, greatly reducing the visibility of pilots and control towers. The accident happened when the KLM plane was taking off. The Pan Am plane was still on the runway, shrouded in fog, and about to enter the taxiway. The impact and associated fire killed everyone aboard KLM 4805 and most of the crew of Pan Am 1736, leaving only 61 survivors at the front of the plane. A subsequent investigation by Spanish authorities determined that the main cause of the accident was the KLM captain's decision to take off, confusing air traffic control (ATC) with take-off clearance. Dutch investigators focus more on misunderstandings over radio communications between KLM flight attendants and ATC, but in the end KLM admits that the flight attendants were responsible for the accident and the airlines agreed to pay monetary compensation to the families of the victims . The disaster had a lasting impact on the industry and underscored the importance of using standardized formulas, especially in wireless communications. Cockpit procedures were also revised, making crew management a fundamental part of pilot training.