Tenerife Airport Disaster:
While it is relatively easy and certainly safer to use hindsight to determine what course of action should or should not have been taken, the value in studying the mistakes of the past is almost infinite. Despite the tragedies that have occurred in aviation, the resulting change in operations and safety protocols has continued to make flying safer. On March 27, 1977 two Boeing 747s collided on the runway of Los Rodeos Airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife. As a result of the collision, both aircraft were destroyed and 583 people died. In addition to communication issues prior to the accident, the weather was deteriorating and tensions were high due to the large number of aircraft having been diverted to Tenerife because of a bomb threat at the original destination airport. There are many factors to consider and lessons to be learned from this incident but for this assignment find ways that such a tragedy can be avoided through better communication.
Instructions:
For this assignment, research the Tenerife Airport Disaster and present your findings to an aviation audience illustrating ways to avoid such a disaster in the future by emphasizing the importance of clear communication. Your presentation should be 2-3 pages long.