Wednesday, July 4, 2012

The Tenerife crash - March 27th, 1977



Here are the CVR's transcript :
March 27, 1977
Tenerife, Canary Islands
Pan American,  Flight 1736 / KLM, Flight 4805
Boeing B-747-121 / Boeing B-747-206B
N736PA / PH-BUF


Both aircraft were diverted to Tenerife because of a bombing at Las Palmas Airport. After an
extended delay, both planes were instructed to back track up the runway. The KLM plane
reached its takeoff point while the Pan Am plane was still on the runway. The Pan Am plane
continued up the runway missing the taxiway turnout. There was heavy fog on the runway.
The KLM plane began its takeoff roll without permission with the Pan Am plane still on the
runway. The KLM plane hit the Pan Am plane just as it was taking off. Both planes burst into
flames. KLM 234 + 14 crew, Pan Am 326 + 9 crew killed.


PA RT = Radio Transmission Pan Am First Officer
APP = Tenerife tower
PA CAM 1 = Cockpit Area Mike PanAm, Captain
PA CAM 2 = Cockpit Area Mike PanAm,  First Officer
PA CAM 3 = Cockpit Area Mike PanAm,  Flight Engineer
KLM RT = KLM Radio Transmission
KLM CAM 1 = KLM cockpit Area Mike, Captain
KLM CAM 2 = KLM cockpit Area Mike, First Officer
KLM CAM 3 = KLM cockpit Area Mike, Flight Engineer
?? = Unknown
1701:57.0PA RTTenerife the Clipper one seven three six.
1702:01.8APPClipper one seven three six Tenerife.
1702:03.6PA RTAh- We were instructed to contact you and also to taxi down the runway, is that correct?
1702:08.4APPAffirmative, taxi into the runway and -ah leave the runway third, third to your left, [background conversation in the tower].
1702:16.4PA RTThird to the left, O.K.
1702:18.4PA CAM 3Third he said.
 PA CAM ?Three.
1702:20.6APP...ird one to your left.
1702:21.9PA CAM 1I think he said first.
1702:26.4PA CAM 2I'll ask him again.
 PA CAM ???
1702:32.2PA CAM 2Left turn.
1702:33.1PA CAM 1I don't think they have take-off minimums anywhere right now.
1702:39.2PA CAM 1What really happened over there today?
1702:41.6PA CAM 4They put a bomb in the terminal, Sir, right where the check-in counters are.
1702:46.6PA CAM 1Well we asked them if we could hold and -uh- I guess you got the word, we landed here ...
 CAM-???
1702:49.8APPKLM four eight zero five how many taxiway -ah- did you pass?
1702:55.6KLM RTI think we just passed Charlie four now.
1702:59.9APPO.K. ... at the end of the runway make one eighty and report -ah- ready -ah- for ATC clearance [background conversation in the tower].
1703:09.3PA CAM 2The first one is a ninety degree turn.
1703:11.0PA CAM 1Yeah, O.K.
1703:12.1PA CAM 2Must be the third ... I'll ask him again.
1703:14.2PA CAM 1O.K.
1703:16.6PA CAM 1We could probably go in it's ah ...
1703:19.1PA CAM 1You gotta make a ninety degree turn.
1703:21.6PA CAM 1Yeah, uh.
1703:21.6PA CAM-2Ninety degree turn to get around this ... this one down here it's a forty five.
1703:29.3PA RTWould you confirm that you want the clipper one seven three six to turn left at the third intersection?
1703:35.1PA CAM 1One, two.
1703:36.4APPThe third one, sir, one; two, three, third, third one.
1703:38.3PA CAM ?One two (four).
1703:39.0PA CAM 1Good.
1703:40.1PA CAM 1That's what we need right, the third one.
1703:42.9PA CAM 3Uno, dos, tres.
1703:44.0PA CAM 1Uno, dos, tres.
1703:44.9PA CAM 3Tres - uh - si.
1703:46.5PA CAM 1Right.
1703:47.6PA CAM 3We'll make it yet.
1703:47.6APP...er seven one three six report leaving the runway.
1703:49.1PA CAM 2Wing flaps?
1703:50.2PA CAM 1Ten, indicate ten, leading edge lights are green.
1703:54.1PA CAM ?Get that.
1703:55.0PA RTClipper one seven three six.
1703:56.5PA CAM 2Yaw damp and instrument?
1703:58.6PA CAM 1Ah- Bob we'll get a left one... 
1703:59.3PA CAM 2I got a left.
1704:00.6PA CAM 1Did you?
1704.00.9PA CAM 2And -ah- need a right.
1704:02.6PA CAM 1I'll give you a little ... 
1704:03.8PA CAM 2Put a little aileron in this thing.
1704:05.0PA CAM 1O.K., here's a left and I'll give you a right one right here.
1704:09.7PA CAM 1O.K. right turn right and left yaw.
1704:11.4PA CAM 2Left yaw checks.
1704:12.4PA CAM 1O.K., here's the rudders.
1704:13.6PA CAM 1Here's two left, centre, two right center.
1704:17.8PA CAM 2Checks.
1704:19.2PA CAM 2Controls.
1704:19.6PA CAM 1Haven't seen any yet!
1704:20.3PA CAM 2I haven't either.
1704:21. 7PA CAM 1They're free, the indicators are checked.
1704:24.6PA CAM 2There's one.
1704:25.8PA CAM 1There's one.
1704:26.4PA CAM 1That's the ninety degree.
1704:28.5PA CAM ?O.K.
1704:34.5PA CAM ???
 PA CAM  2Weight and balance finals?
1704:37.7PA CAM[Sounds similar to stabilizer trim]
1704:37.2PA CAM 1We were gonna put that on four and a half
1704:39.8PA CAM 3We got four and a half and we weigh five thirty four. [sound of stabilizer trim]
1704:44.6PA CAM 2Four and a half on the right.
1704:46.8PA CAM 2Engineer's taxi check.
1704:48.4PA CAM 3Taxi check is complete.
1704:50.5PA CAM 2Take-off and departure briefing?
1704:52.1PA CAM 1O.K., it'll be standard, we gonna go straight out there till we get thirty five hundred feet then we're gonna make that reversal and go back' out to ... fourteen.
1704:58.2APP...m eight seven zero five and clipper one seven ... three six, for your information, the center line lighting is out of service. [APP transmission is readable but slightly broken]
1705:05.8KLM RTI copied that.
1705:07.7PA RTClipper one seven three six.
1705:09.6PA CAM-1We got center line markings ... only could be "don't we they count the same thing as ... we need eight hundred meters if you don't have that center line... I read that on the back of this just a while ago.
1705:22.0PA CAM 1That's two.
1705:23.5PA CAM 3Yeh, that's forty-five there.
1705:25.7PA CAM 1Yeh.
1705:26.5PA CAM 2That's this one right here.
1705:27.2PA CAM 1Yeh, I know.
1705:28.1PA CAM 3O.K.
1705:28.5PA CAM 3Next one is almost a forty-five, huh yeh.
1705:30.6PA CAM 1But it goes...
1705:32.4PA CAM 1Yeh, but it goes ... ahead, I think it's gonna put us on the taxiway.
1705:35.9PA CAM 3Yeah, just a little bit yeh.
1705:39.8PA CAM ?O.K., for sure.
1705:40.0PA CAM 2Maybe he, maybe he counts these, are three.
 PA CAM ?Huh.
1705:44.8PA CAM ?I like this.
1705:44.8KLM RTUh, the KLM ... four eight zero five is now ready for take-off ... uh and we're waiting for our ATC clearance.
1705:53.4APPKLM eight seven * zero five uh you are cleared to the Papa Beacon climb to and maintain flight level nine zero right turn after take-off proceed with heading zero four zero until intercepting the three two five radial from Las Palmas VOR.
1706:09.6KLM RTAh roger, sir, we're cleared to the Papa Beacon flight level nine zero, right turn out zero four zero until intercepting the three two five and we're now at take-off.
ca. 1706:13KLM CAM 1We're going
1706:18.19APPOK.
1706:19.3PA RTNo .. eh.
1706:20.08APPStand by for take-off, I will call you.
1706:20.3PA RTAnd we're still taxiing down the runway, the clipper one seven three six.
1706:19.39 - 1706:23.19 [PA radio transmission and APP communications caused a shrill noise in KLM cockpit - messages not heard by KLM crew]
1706:25.6APPRoger alpha one seven three six report when runway clear.
1706:29.6PA RTOK, we'll report when we're clear.
 APPThank you
 PA CAM 1Lets get the hell out of here!
 PA CAM 2Yeh, he's anxious isn't he.
 PA CAM 3Yeh, after he held us up for half an hour.  Now he's in a rush.
1706:32.43KLM CAM 3Is he not clear then?
1706:34.1KLM CAM 1What do you say?
1706:34.15KLM CAM ?Yup.
1706:34.7KLM CAM 3Is he not clear that Pan American?
1706:35.7KLM-1Oh yes. [emphatically]
1706:40 [PanAm captain sees landing lights of KLM at approximately 700 meters]
 PA CAM 1There he is .. look at him!  Goddamn that son-of-a-bitch is coming! Get off! Get off!  Get off!
1706:44 [KLM starts rotation]
1706:47.44KLM CAM 1[Scream]
1706:50 [Collision]


The Story :
Some 583 people died or were mortally injured on March 27th 1977 after two Boeing 747 jumbo jets collided on a runway at Los Rodeos airport, Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, making this the world's worst civil aviation disaster.
Tenerife in the worldThe Canary Islands are located in the Atlantic Ocean, off the Western coast of Africa, between 27 and 29 degrees north latitude, and between 13 and 18 degrees west longitude. They are volcanic islands. Tenerife is the archipelago's middle island and is 81 km long and 45 km wide.
The PanAm Boeing 747-121, on a charter passenger flight from Los Angeles to Las Palmas, had been in the air for eight hours. Some 396 people, including 16 crew, were onboard. Its captain was annoyed as he had not obtained clearance to land at Las Palmas. A bomb had exploded there two hours previously and the airport was closed for repair. The 747 was requested to divert to Tenerife, 70 km west of Las Palmas. The Captain and his passengers were unhappy about this arrangement, but they had no other choice.
At 14h15 GMT, PanAm flight 1736 made its final approach on runway 30. Canary islandsThe landing at Los Rodeos airport (Tenerife) was a smooth one, but the captain noticed the larger than usual number of aircraft at the airport. Many aircraft, including a 747-206B from KLM, had landed there following the closure of Las Palmas airport. The small Tenerife airport was saturated.
The PanAm 747 was requested to park in fourth position, behind the KLM 747. The KLM aircraft was also a charter flight (KLM 4805). It had landed 45 minutes previously, with 248 people onboard, including 14 crew. Its captain was nervous: very strict Dutch regulation forbid the crew to exceed their quota of flying hours. Should the plane not take-off soon, its captain and KLM could be in serious trouble.
At 14h30 GMT, good news: the Tenerife control tower informed all grounded aircraft that Las Palmas airport had just re-opened. The controller informed the Panam Captain that in order to speed up take-off he could taxi right behind the KLM 747. The Panam captain agreed.
PanAm Boeing 747
The PanAm Boeing 747 involved in the crash
Weather deteriorated: a heavy fog would soon cover the airport. The visibility rapidly dropped to a few hundred meters (300 feet). At 16h51, the KLM 747 was cleared to start its engines. At 16h52, the Panam 747 requested clearance to start its engines. The control tower's answer was as follows:
16:52 (Tenerife control tower) - PanAm 1736, you are cleared to start. Report ready for taxi. For your information, you will have to backtrack behind the other 747 and leave the runway third taxiway to your left.
Both 747s would therefore backtrack the length of the 3,400-meter (11,000 feet) runway at low speed. The KLM aircraft would backtrack to the end of the runway, make a u-turn and report ready for take-off. The PanAm plane would exit the runway into the third taxiway in order to free the way for the KLM aircraft to take off. This was deemed the simplest solution in view of heavy traffic at the airport.


At 16h55, the Dutch 747 reached the runway, the American 747 a few hundred meters behind it. The fog was becoming denser: the 747s could not see each other, and neither aircraft could be seen from the control tower. The visibility was less than 200 meters.
KLM Boeing 747
The KLM Boeing 747 involved in the crash
17 :01 :57 (PanAm first officer) – Tenerife the Clipper one seven three six.
17 :02 :01 (Tenerife control tower) – Clipper one seven three six Tenerife.
17 :02 :03 (PanAm first officer) – Ah. We were instructed to contact you and also to taxi down the runway, is that correct?
17 :02 :08 (Tenerife control tower) – Affirmative, taxi into the runway and -ah leave the runway third, third to your left.
17 :02 :16 (PanAm first officer) – Third to the left, OK.
 Background conversation in the control tower made it difficult for the crew to hear the instructions.
17 :02 :18 (Mecanician) – Third he said?
17 :02 :19 (Captain) – Three?
17 :02 :21 (Tenerife control tower) – -ird one to your left.
17 :02 :22 (Captain) – I think he said first.
<17 :02 :26 (First officer) – I'll ask him again.
17 :02 :32 (First officer) – Left turn.
17 :02 :33 (Captain) – I don't think they have take-off minimums anywhere right now.
17 :02 :39 (Captain) – What really happened over there today?
17 :02 :41 (PanAm employee) – They put a bomb (in) the terminal, Sir, right where the check-in counters are.
17 :02 :46 (Captain) – Well we asked them if we could hold and -uh- I guess you got the word, we landed here.
The controller was next heard talking to the KLM jumbo crew.
17 :02 :50 (Tenerife control tower to KLM 747) – KLM four eight zero five how many taxiway -ah- did you pass?
17 :02 :55 (KLM 4805) – I think we just passed charlie four (fourth one) now.
17 :02 :59 (Tenerife control tower) – O.K. ... at the end of the runway make one eighty and report -ah- ready -ah- for ATC clearance.
Both aircraft were still backtracking down the runway, but the PanAm 747 was lost in the fog, the latter making it very difficult to spot the exit taxiways. The control tower had confirmed earlier that the aircraft must exit the runway into the third taxiway.
17 :03 :48 (Tenerife control tower) – ...er seven one three six report leaving the runway.
17 :04 :59 (Tenerife control tower) – -m eight seven zero five and clipper one seven ... three six, for your information, the centre line lighting is out of service.
Both 747 minutes before the disaster
This picture was taken at the Tenerife airport, a few minutes prior to the crash. It shows both 747 that will collide in a few minutes. Foreground, the KLM one. Background, the PanAm one.
Yet more bad news. In addition, the crew of the PanAm 747 had just passed the third taxiway without seeing it. They had seen the first one, missed the second one, and were now passing the third one thinking it was the second one. They were now headed for the fourth one.
Meanwhile, the Dutch 747 had finished backtracking the runway and was now making a u-turn. The fog dissipated slightly and the visibility increased to 700 meters. This was an opportunity that the KLM captain wasn't about to miss.
17 :05 :45 (First officer to the control tower) – Uh, the KLM ... four eight zero five is now ready for take-off ... uh and we're waiting for our ATC clearance.
17 :05 :53 (Tenerife control tower) – KLM eight seven zero five uh you are cleared to the Papa Beacon climb to and maintain flight level nine zero right turn after take-off proceed with heading zero four zero until intercepting the three two five radial from Las Palmas VOR.
17 :06 :09 (KLM first officer) – Ah roger, sir, we're cleared to the Papa Beacon flight level nine zero, right turn out zero four zero until intercepting the three two five and we're now (at take-off ??).
The 747 obtained clearance, but was not allowed to take off as yet. However, its captain, in a hurry, started advancing the throttle, having forgotten that another aircraft was still taxiing down the runway. The stressful situation was probably to blame.
17 :06 :13 (Captain) : We gaan. (We're going)
17 :06 :19 (Tenerife control tower) : OK
The Panam first officer was talking simultaneously :
17 :06 :19 (PanAm first officer) : No .. eh...
The controller was struck by a sudden doubt. He reminded the KLM captain that he had not been cleared for take-off.
17 :06 :20 (Tenerife control tower) : Stand by for take-off, I will call you.
17 :06 :20 (PanAm first officer) : And we're still taxiing down the runway, the clipper one seven three six.
Paths of both 747
Paths of both 747
The last two messages were radioed simultaneously and were therefore heard as a long four-second high-pitched sound. The KLM 747 speed increased. Some 1,500 meters further on, the PanAm 747 was still taxiing down the runway.
17 :06 :25 (Tenerife control tower to the PanAm 747) - Roger alpha one seven three six report when runway clear
17 :06 :29 (PanAm first officer) - OK, we'll report when we're clear
17 :06 :30 (Tenerife control tower) - Thank you
The KLM captain did not react. He may have misunderstood and thought that the PanAm 747 had just cleared the runway.
17 :06 :32 (KLM first officer) – Is hij er niet af dan? {Is he not clear then?}
17 :06 :34 (KLM captain) – Wat zeg je? {What do you say?}
17 :06 :35 (KLM first officer) – EstIs hij er niet af, die Pan American? {Is he not clear that Pan American?}
17 :06 :36 (Angry KLM captain) – Jawel. {Oh yes. - Emphatic}
Areas where debris were found
Areas where debris were found
Meanwhile, the PanAm jumbo jet reached the fourth taxiway. Suddenly, the PanAm captain spotted the landing lights of the KLM Boeing approximatively 700 meters away in the fog.
17 :06 :41 (PanAm captain) – (screaming) He’s coming… look… this son of b**** is coming
17 :06 :41 (PanAm first officer) - (screaming)
The PanAm crew set full throttle to leave the runway as quickly as possible, but it was too late. The KLM captain spotted the PanAm jumbo jet on the runway:
17 :06 :47 (KLM captain) – Oh shit
Computer-generated portrayal of collision between both Boeing 747
Computer-generated portrayal of collision between both Boeing 747
Photo of the Tenerife crashThe speed of the Dutch 747 was over 270 km/h. The captain applied full back stick pressure in order to take off and fly over the other 747. The nose climbed, the tail struck the runway, producing sparks. The aircraft climbed one meter above ground, but this wasn't enough.
The 350-tonne giants collided. The forward landing gear wheels of the Dutch 747 struck the right side of the PanAm 747, tearing the fuselage. The left wing cut the vertical stabilizer at rudder level. Passengers saw partitions open, the ceiling disappear and the floor collapse. Right wing fuel tanks were torn apart and fuel started igniting.
The KLM 747 had risen slightly but it had become completely dislocated and it crashed. There were no survivors.
In the PanAm 747, a few people escaped from the burning plane. Some 64 people, including the captain and everybody on the flight deck, survived, out of 396. The heat produced by the fire cleared the fog one kilometer around the crash scene.
Some 583 people died in the crash. 64 people survived.
Photo of the Tenerife crash
Photo of the Tenerife crash
Photo of the Tenerife crash shot minutes after the disaster

Wreckage of the KLM 747   Wreckage of the KLM 747

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