Two Boeing 747 flights, KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736 had the same destination of Gran Canaria, Spain but due to a bomb explosion at the airport, both flights had been diverted to Los Rodeos in Tenerife. KLM Flight 4805 was a flight between Amsterdam and Gran Canaria with 248 lives on board. Pan Am Flight 1736 was a flight between Los Angeles and Gran Canaria with a stopover in New York, with 396 people on board. The airport was not built for handling large aircraft so they could not easily accommodate them. After waiting for the KLM flight to refuel, both aircraft were now able to taxi to the runway.
The Crash:
Fog had now settled in Tenerife. After the KLM flight was done backtaxiing on the runway, the Pan Am aircraft was told to follow. The crew on Flight 1736 had some communication issues with the ATC, and was not clear on what taxiway to turn on to avoid the KLM flight. The ATC told 1736 to turn on the 3rd taxiway, which would be impossible to turn on as it would require a 148 degree turn, so the pilots decided to continue towards the 4th taxiway. While this was happening, the KLM crew had asked for take-off clearance. The ATC gave instructions for after take-off, but never said the words 'cleared for take-off'. The KLM pilots misunderstood this and proceeded to take-off anyway, encountering a tailstrike. The Pan Am crew immediately tried to clear the runway as soon as they saw the KLM flight, but it was too late. Both aircraft collided, creating a massive explosion and wreckage to fly everywhere. All 248 passengers and crew on the KLM flight were dead with another 335 fatalities on the Pan Am flight as well, with 61 survivors. In total, 583 people died making it the worst aviation accident in history.
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