Tenerife 1977: The Deadliest Aviation Disaster in History
On March 27, 1977, KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736 collided on a fog-covered runway at Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife. The disaster claimed 583 lives and became the deadliest accident in aviation history. A bomb threat, an overcrowded airport, worsening visibility, confusing instructions, simultaneous radio transmissions, and a takeoff without clearance created a fatal chain of events. Through cockpit recordings and investigation findings, this episode of Black Box Files reconstructs what happened and explores the safety lessons that changed aviation forever.
