Overview

• On April 25, 1980, Dan-Air Flight 1008 crashed into La Esperanza mountain in Tenerife, killing all 146 people on board, making it the deadliest crash involving a British airliner.
• The disaster was caused by a miscommunication in air traffic control instructions—'turn to the left' instead of 'turns to the left'—leading the crew into an incorrect navigation and descent into mountainous terrain.
• Air traffic controller Justo Camin improvised an unpublished holding pattern for Runway 12, as no standard pattern existed, and cleared the flight to descend to 5,000 feet, far below the minimum safe altitude of 14,500 feet.
• The crash investigation spurred critical reforms, including mandatory readbacks of air traffic control instructions and standardization of holding patterns to improve communication and safety.
• Marking its 45th anniversary, retrospectives highlight the human errors, cockpit voice recordings, and the enduring safety lessons that emerged from the tragedy.