Airline Disaster: Crash of the Century

Airline Disaster: Crash of the Century

2006 · 85 min · ★ 9.0 · Documentary

March 27, 1977. At 2:00 in the afternoon, a thick fog rolled into the usually quiet Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. On the runway sat two fully loaded jumbo airliners. An explosion at a nearby airport had redirected air traffic to the undermanned airfield at Tenerife. Within three hours 583 people would be dead. This film reconstructs the moments leading up to the tragedy.

Directed by Chantal Hébert · Written by Thomas Forwood

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Cast

Mark Halliley narrator
Randall Holden Victor Grubbs
Antonio Cubillo Self (archive footage)

Make it a double feature

2h 42m together

Airline Disaster: Crash of the Century

Little Dieter Needs to Fly

A close match in mood and era.

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Tenerife

Tenerife · 2005

MovieDocumentary

March 27, 1977. At 2:00 in the afternoon, a thick fog rolled into the usually quiet Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. On the runway sat two fully loaded jumbo airliners. An explosion at a nearby airport had redirected air traffic to the undermanned airfield at Tenerife. Within three hours 583 people would be dead. This film reconstructs the moments leading up to the tragedy.

Mayday

SeriesDocumentaryDrama

Major real-life air disasters are depicted in this series. Each episode features a detailed dramatized reconstruction of the incident based on cockpit voice recorders and air traffic control transcripts, as well as eyewitnesses recounts and interviews with aviation experts.

NOVA

SeriesDocumentary

PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA demystifies science and technology, and highlights the people involved in scientific pursuits.

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