747 crashes into another 747 Part 1

THE TENERIFE DISASTER

The Tenerife Disaster took place on March 27 1977 at 17:06:56 (local time) when two giant 747's, collided on the runway, at the Los Rodeos Airport on the island of Tenerife. This resulted in the death of 583 people and remains today, as of March 2007, the disater with the most amount of fatalities (excluding ground fatalities) of any single accident. Pan Am Flight 1736. nicknames Clipper Victor, and under the command of Captain Victor Grubbs and KLM Flight 4805, nicknamed Rijn, (Rhine River), and under the command of Captain Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten, were the two aircrafts involved.

Both aircrafts had diverted to the Los Rofeos airport, due to a bomb at the Gran Canaria Airport. Once the airport opened again, the KLM crew were instructed to taxi down the runway, make a 180 degree turn at the end, and hold for takeoff. The Pan Am aircraft was instructed to taxi behind the KLM and turn in a the thrid exit, and wait until the KLM took off. However, fate had its way that day, and instead of wating for take off clearance, Captain van Zanten, who was in an almighty hurry to get going, pushed the throttled forward, without receiving take off clearance. Things would still have been okay, if the Pan Am 747 hadn't missed the third exit and continued blindly down the runway. When the KLM Captain saw the lights of the Pan Am, he pulled back to hard on his control column, in an effort to get over the other aircraft, that his tail scraped along the runway. Meanwhile, Captain Grubbs powered the engined up and spun sharply to the let, trying to get off the runway. However, in a mere few seconds, everything was over. The KLM, packed with fuel for the long trip back home, couldn't climb fast enough. It smashed through the roof off the Pan Am and struggled on, airbone for a few seconds, but crashed, just a couple of meters down the runway. Everyone onboard was killed. On the Pan Am, an immense blaze, which could not be brought under control, burtn many passengers far beyond recognition. In all, only about fifty passengers, of the three hundred something, survived. On March 27 2007, it was the thirty years since this horrible disaster. So let up take a minute, close our eyes and pray for all those who perished, on that foggy Sunday evening, so many years ago...

KAI TAK AIRPORT NO MORE

Kai Tak is the name of a prime piece of reclaimed land that served as the former international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. At the stroke of midnight, 5th July 1998, this vibrant and popular airport that once served as a important commercial and cultural gateway to Hong Kong and mainland China was replaced by the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok.

Aviation at Kai Tak began with a flying school and a British Flying Military unit and in 1928, a concrete slipway was built for seaplanes that used the adjoining Kowloon Bay. This world-famous airport was home to Hong Kong's national carrier Cathay Pacific as well as Dragonair Air Hong Kong and Hong Kong Airways. With numerous skyscrapers and mountains located to the north and its one runway jutting out into Victoria Harbour, it was known by visitors for its spectacular, low-altitude landings.

ADAM AIR FLIGHT 574 DOWN

On Januart 1 2007, air traffic controllers lost contact with flight 547 en route. The Aircraft, a Boeing 737-400 with the registration PK-KKW, is still missing along with its 96 passengers and 6 crew. On January 10, parts of the aircraft's tail stabilizer were found 300m offshore, suggesting that the aircraft crashed into the sea.

The flight recorders and suspected debris have been located, but may not be recovered due to a dispute between Adam Air and the Indonesian Government over who should pay recovery costs. [MORE...]

SIA RECEIVES BOEING 777-300ER

Singapore Airlines, one the Boeing's largest customers, have also added the B777-300ER to their fleet, since November 2006. The six new aircrafts, the first being registered 9V-SWA, the other five follwoing in alphabetical order, have been painted in a slight revised livery. The chages incluide larger titles and a small white space at the bottom of the tail fin.

The 777-300 ER operates routes to Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Barcelona, Seoul, San Francisco and Zurich, whith upgraded and more comfortable cabins, but passengers are required to pay a slightly higher fare. Features like bigger seats, more amenitites, bigger PVD screens and a large range of range of movies from Kirsworld are also available.

THE FIVE STAR AIRLINES

Singapore Airlines

Malaysia Airways

Cathay Pacific Airways

Qatar Airways

The above were the only four airlines to a receive a Five Star Ranking, which by the way is the highest possible ranking any airline can get, from Skytrax, for the year 2006. To find out more about what makes a five star airline click here. When the rankings for 2007 come out, Lishan will definitely post it, so don't worry!