MovieChat Forums > Mayday (2003) Discussion > Disaster at Tenerife / KLM - Pan Am ques...

Disaster at Tenerife / KLM - Pan Am question


Okay, so Pan Am was following KLM down the runway. Pan Am had to leave the runway via junction 3. Because of the difficult tight 90 degrees turn they decided to drive along for the easier junction 4. the narrator tells us that a big 747 isn't nimble enough for these turns.

KLM 747 was told to make a 180 degree turn at the end of the runway, which apperently was done in no time.

Big contradiction, or did I miss something?

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I suppose one possible logical explanation would be that the taxiways were narrower than the actual runway.

It should also be noted that, apparently, it wasn't a conscious decision to opt for junction 4 instead of 3 - the Pan Am pilots just missed it in the fog (whether or not these 148 degree turns would be negotiable for a 747 seems to be a matter of some debate).



"facts are stupid things" Ronald Reagan

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There are only contradictions in the Tenerife case, because the Americans wanted to put the blame on everyone except themselves.

This show also has the tendency to get political, it can be extremely biased.

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I think the pull off points were angled differently. The one they turned off at would be the first on this diagram but it should have been the next one.


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Sorry about the crap picture!

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