World's Deadliest Runway Collisions

04 January, 2024

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Geoffrey Thomas

Geoffrey Thomas

04 January, 2024

Sadly there have been five major Runway Collisions since 1977 that have claimed 778 lives.

The deadliest, and the world's worst airliner crash, occurred in 1977 at Tenerife between two Boeing 747s and claimed 583 lives.

Here is the list from aviation-safety.net

1977: A KLM 747 taking off in fog at Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife, slammed into a Pan Am 747 which had not cleared the runway in a ghastly mixup between pilots and ATC. The KLM captain assumed the Pan AM 747 had left the runway and was in a hurry to get going after a lengthy delay due to a terrorist attack at the intended airport of Las Palmas. The probable cause was listed as: The KLM aircraft had taken off without take-off clearance, in the absolute conviction that this clearance had been obtained, resulting from a misunderstanding between the tower and the KLM aircraft. A total of 583 passengers and crew perished and only 61 survived. Those survivors were from the front section of the Pan Am 747.

Stunned survivors mill about the burning wreckage of Pan American Boeing 747 Flight 1736 after it collided with another 747, KLM 4805, at Los Rodeos Airport on the island of Tenerife on March 27, 1977. (David Yeager Alexander via History.net)

1983: Aviaco DC-9 EC-CGS taxied out for takeoff in heavy fog for a flight to Santander. The aircraft inadvertently taxied onto the active runway 01. At that moment an Iberia Boeing 727 was taking off and was near take-off speed when the crew noticed the DC-9 in front of them. They unsuccessfully tried to take evasive action; The 727's left wing and left main gear were torn off in the collision. Both aircraft caught fire and burned out. A total of 42 passengers and crew died in the DC-9.

1991: In a tragic mix up a USAir 737 landing on runway 24L collided with a SkyWest Metro II which was lined up and told to hold on runway 24L. Just after that instruction to hold the controller became preoccupied with sorting out an issue with the pilot of another aircraft. Thirty-four passengers and crew died.

2001: A SAS MD87 carrying 110 passengers and crew was taking off from Milano-Linate Airport in heavy fog when it collided with a Cessna Citation executive jet, with four passengers and crew, which entered the runway. Sadly all perished.

2024: A Japan Airlines A350 collided with a Japan Coast Guard DHC8 at Haneda Airport killing five onboard the DHC8. Investigation is pending but it appears that the DHC8 aircraft was on the runway without permission.

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