Aviation’s Deadliest Crash
Boston, MA — On March 27, 1977, on the island of Tenerife, two fully loaded 747 jumbo jets collided on a fog-blanketed runway, claiming the lives of 583 people in what is still the deadliest crash in aviation history. Now, almost 30 years later, near misses on the ground are the leading cause of aviation accidents, raising the question of what can be done to improve runway safety. Featuring moving interviews with the few survivors of the disaster and with top accident investigators, NOVA examines the fateful confluence of events that led to the Tenerife tragedy and its continuing relevance for air travel today, in The Deadliest Plane Crash, premiering Tuesday, October 17, 2006 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on PBS (check local listings).
Three decades ago, the facts of the accident were shocking and inexplicable. In thick fog, a KLM 747 began an unauthorized takeoff, slamming into a Pan Am 747 that was taxiing on the same runway. The best and the brightest pilots, including KLM’s senior captain and head of safety, were at the helm. How could such an accident possibly occur?
