Primary document
Joint Report: KLM/Pan Am, Tenerife, 27 March 1977
Spanish Subsecretariat of Civil Aviation
Where this source supports the record
Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.
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Transportation & maritime · 27 March 1977Open article references →
Tenerife Airport Disaster
Tenerife North Airport runway collision area · Spain
Why editors use it hereCatalog and scan of the official Spanish investigation with participating-state comments and the factual accident record.
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Quick read
On 27 March 1977, KLM and Pan American Boeing 747s collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport on Tenerife.
Reviewed 5 August 2026 -
Trigger and conditions
The KLM 747 reached the runway end and turned to face the departure direction while the Pan Am 747 taxied toward an assigned exit.
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Uncertainty
The official investigation found that the KLM takeoff began without clearance.
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Why it matters
Tenerife shows how individually manageable problems can combine into catastrophe when traffic, weather, infrastructure, radio ambiguity, and cockpit decisions erode a shared picture.
Reviewed 5 August 2026
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Quick read