Episode Transcript
Speaker 1Pushkin. Did you know that the most deadly aviation accident in history happened on the ground? You might if you're a Pushkin Plus subscriber, because the episode you're about to hear has been available to those subscribers for a year. We thought that everyone else might enjoy it and the gripping sequel in a terrifying two part special on...
Episode Description
“Evacuate the airport, we’ve planted bombs,” a terrorist tells the telephone operator at the airport in Gran Canaria, in 1977. By the end of that day, 583 people will have lost their lives – but not to a bomb explosion.
The planes are diverted to the neighboring island of Tenerife. Loaded with passengers, they’re forced to sit on the hot tarmac for hours. Meanwhile, the flight crews rely on air traffic control to keep them updated.
Two Boeing 747s are waiting for thick fog to lift so that they can begin the journey home; they're anxious to receive clearance to take off. One of them has just taken on a hefty 15,000 gallons of fuel. What unfolds next is the most deadly aviation accident in history.
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