Date: 27 March 1977
Airline: KLM/Pan AM
Flight No.: 4805/1736
Aircraft: B747/B747
Location: Tenerife, Spain
Fatalities: 583:644
Photographer: Unknown
Both aircraft - Pan American Boeing 747-121 N736PA, and KLM Boeing 747-206B PH-BUF - had been diverted to Los Rodeos Airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands due to a bomb threat at the airport at their final destination, the neighboring island of Las Palmas. The aircraft collided on the runway while departing Tenerife as the KLM Boeing 747's Captain initiated a takeoff without permission while the Pan American aircraft was using the runway to taxi out for departure. Full Accident Descriptions: KLM Flight 4805 / Pan American Flight 1736.
This photo was taken by a passenger aboard KLM Flight 4805 from the ground at Los Rodeos Airport, Tenerife less than an hour before the accident. The KLM Boeing 747 involved in the accident can be seen in the foreground, while the Pan Am 747 involved can be seen in the background.
