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Tenerife Airport Disaster (What Happened? (On Sunday, March 27th 1977,…

- - - - KLM co-pilot Meurs did not have many hours experience flying 747's
        
        View was that he did not have authority to ask questions, induced the thinking that "the captain is always right" (Netherlands Aviation Safety Board 1979)
  - - - 50 years of age at time of accident
      - Declared medically fit for work 3 months before accident
      - Well respected, featured in promotional advertisement material for KLM
      - Had not flown at all in the last 12 weeks prior to the incident (Training Syndrome?)
      - Senior pilot, also a senior instructor for KLM with 11,700 flight hours' experience
      - Stressed due to needing to adhere to strict flying hours
      - Crew were starting to feel fatigued due to the long wait time at Tenerife (Netherlands Aviation Safety Board 1979) # # # # # #
      - Overloaded with frequent problems and challenges #
    - - Age 39 at time of accident
      - 10,800 total hours of flying experience
      - Passed his most recent medical examination 2 months' prior to accident
    - - Age 46 at time of accident
      - 15,210 hours of flying experience
      - Passed his most recent medical examination in June 1976
    - - 21,043 hours total flight time experience over span of career
      - Age 56 at time of accident
      - Last medical examination was 5 days before accident, he was declared fit for work
    - - 42 years of age at time of accident
      - 9,200 hours of flight experience
      - Also pronounced fit for work at most recent medical examination 3 months prior to accident
    - - 48 years of age at time of accident
      - 17,031 hours of flight experience
      - Pronounced fit for duties after passing his last medical examination 7 months' prior to accident
- - - - Pan Am aircraft missed taxiway 3
  - - - A loud, noisy squeal occurs when 2 people try to speak on the same frequency at same time
        
        While KLM flight was preparing for take off, critical pieces of information could not be heard due to this squeal, resulting in them not knowing the Pan Am aircraft was still on the runway
  - - - Studies have shown that these waves can negatively impact intellectual performance (Rostami et al. 2016).
- - - - Management have strict policies for flying times, and pilots are grounded for rest if they exceed their time
        
        If pilots exceed their working time, KLM are also forced to pay for overnight accommodation of all passengers on that plane, pilots may be prosecuted
        
        Cost and Reputation over Safety culture
      - As result, Van Zanten decided to refuel at Tenerife rather than Las Palmas to save time
        
        Refueling considered factor of cause, as it prevented last minute attempts to avoid collision with Pan Am plane
  - - - Angle of exit 3 made it difficult to see, and made for a difficult maneuver in conjunction with limited visibility
  - - - As a result of accident, blockers were developed to avoid this problem, however are not mandatory requirements #
    - - No set terminology
        
        Regularly caused misunderstandings between local airports and international pilots from other countries (Netherlands Aviation Safety Board 1979) #
    - - Instead of waiting for verbal clearance, pilot opened throttle and began take-off (AviationCV.com 2016) #
    - - KLM crew's first language was Dutch #
      - Pan Am crew's first language was English #
      - Air Traffic Controller's first language was Spanish #
- - - - Centre lights out of service
      - Taxiway exit signs not lit up
    - - No ground radars
        
        Ground radar installed as result of recommendations made by the Netherlands Aviation Safety Board (1979)
      - 2 staff on duty for the day
    - - Opened in 1941, limited facilities, "terminal in disrepair" (Air Crash Investigation 2018)
    - - Responded to KLM aircraft immediately
        
        Could not see immediately that Pan Am flight was affected due to fog (Netherlands Aviation Safety Board 1979)
  - - - Result: Planes being diverted to an airport too small to accommodate their size, or the sheer quantity of planes
- - - - Materials to use for construction based on this detail
    - - Designs with user in mind
    - - Comfort of passengers
      - Safety features & Escape routes
    - - Type of fuel to use
    - - Options to include non-mandatory features
        
        Technology to block loud screeches when multiple people speaking over VHF radio - allows at least one of the communications to be heard (Air Crash Investigation 2018)
      - Air pressurization
  - - - Training
      - Licenses
    - - Bathrooms
      - Toilets
      - Air conditioning
      - Entertainment
    - - Long haul flights to and from International destinations #
      - Seat a large number of passengers, accommodate for luggage (in cabin and stow away compartments)
  - - - Engine functions
      - User interfaces
    - - Approved by regulatory body