45 years since the tragedy of Dan Air Flight 1008 between Manchester and Tenerife

On April 25, 1980, Dan Air Flight 1008, a Boeing 727, suffered a tragic accident while approaching Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife. Coming from Manchester, the aircraft crashed into El Diablillo Mountain, in the municipality of El Rosario, just 20 kilometers from its destination. The fateful event resulted in the loss of 146 lives, making it one of the island's worst air disasters. This accident occurred just three years after the devastating crash at Los Rodeos in 1977, which left 583 dead and remains one of the worst in aviation history.

British authorities pointed to other contributions to the accident: Ambiguity in the instructions transmitted by the air traffic controller, which caused disorientation in the crew; failure to indicate a minimum holding height; a holding pattern that did not correspond to the runway heading, which generated additional doubts and navigation and interpretation errors.

The crashed aircraft was a Boeing 727-46, serial number 19279/288. Manufactured in June 1966, its operational life began with Japan Air Lines before being acquired by the Japanese company TOA Domestic. In August 1974, the aircraft became part of the Dan Air fleet, accumulating 13 years and 10 months of experience at the time of the tragedy.

Flight 1008 was on approach when, at 13:21 p.m. GMT, it crashed into El Diablillo Mountain. All passengers and crew on board died instantly, marking a dark day for aviation and for Tenerife. This accident added to a series of previous tragedies at Los Rodeos Airport, being the third largest after the disasters of 1972, with 155 victims, and the colossal accident of 1977, which involved two Boeing 747s and marked a tragic milestone in international aviation.

This incident underscores the importance of safety measures when approaching airports with challenging geographic and meteorological conditions, such as those at Tenerife North Los Rodeos. It also highlighted the need to improve air navigation systems and communication between pilots and controllers, issues that have become even more relevant after incidents like this one.

The report prepared by the Spanish Civil Aviation authorities concluded that the accident of Dan Air Flight 1008 was the result of critical decisions made by the captain, who, by disregarding the aircraft's altitude, entered an area of ​​high ground without maintaining the required safety distance. This fundamental error resulted in a loss of control that had fatal consequences.

The report also identified several factors that contributed to the accident, including the execution of an ill-defined maneuver, problems with the captain's navigation accuracy, a lack of coordination between the captain and co-pilot, which affected teamwork, a lack of adequate time to interpret the controller's instructions and execute the holding at the designated point, and a lack of holding data on aeronautical navigation charts.

According to the records, the aircraft was scheduled to arrive at the TFN VOR following the 010 radial and leave it via the 255 radial, then merge into the FP point. There, the controller had defined an improvised holding pattern that included approaching FP following the 150 radial and making left turns. However, the aircraft deviated east of the TFN by more than a mile and reported a delay of 33 seconds, giving the controller an erroneous impression of its position.

From that moment on, the aircraft never correctly steered toward FP. Cockpit recordings indicate that the captain interpreted the aircraft as heading 150 outward, which explains his incorrect maneuver. Another key element of the accident was the way the controller transmitted the instructions. The indicated hold was not included in the navigation charts, which created uncertainty in a critical phase such as the approach. Furthermore, the phrase "turns to the left" was interpreted by the British authorities as "turn to the left," which could have caused the captain to make an incorrect turn upon reaching FP and take the wrong course.

In the final seconds, the aircraft never reached FP, veering several miles south. Shortly thereafter, the crew initiated a left turn, possibly triggered by confusion over the controller's message. This maneuver was interrupted by the ground proximity warning system, causing the plane to roll to the right and enter a valley. Although this turn momentarily halted the warnings, four seconds later, the plane impacted the mountain at an altitude of approximately 2.000 meters, sealing the fate of its occupants.