Deadliest accident in aviation history saw two planes collide killing over 500 people
dailystar.co.uktwo planes collide and kill over 500 people.On March 27, 1977, two Boeing 747 Jumbo Jets collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife, Spain, killing 583 people.The tragic situation was brought about after the Canary Islands Independence Movement planted a bomb at the terminal of Gran Canaria Airport.Fears of a second device led to all flights heading for Gran Canaria to instead be rerouted to the nearby island of Tenerife.Two of the diverted flights were KLM Flight 4805 from Amsterdam and Pan Am Flight 1736 from Los Angeles via New York.
The small airport at Los Rodeos was barely large enough to accommodate the sudden influx of traffic, which included the arrival of five airliners.
That led to aircrafts being crammed onto the airport's taxiway, forcing pilots to taxi into take-off position using the runway itself.
Adding to the difficulties for aircrew and air traffic control, patches of thick fog began to drift across the airfield, severely reducing visibility.
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