Forty years ago today on 25 April 1980 a Dan-Air B727 departed Manchester and crashed into the mountains of northern Tenerife. The full AAIB report can be read here.

https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/8-1981-boeing-72-g-bdan-25-april-1980?fbclid=IwAR2JE9Fkr0Kw3fLyooJYH5oXzbaLKvb4MX4EDcHa5bbcLyiRjosNeaGshz0

I flew to Los Rodeos five years earlier for a holiday in the north of the island as the south hadn’t been opened up for tourism back then. Very dangerous airport as the world’s worst aviation accident occurred at the same airport three years earlier.

Like a lot of people from around Manchester, and with having relatives in Spain, I too had flown with Dan Air to Spain from Manchester a few times around the time of that accident, and since one of those trips was on a 727, there is a good chance it was on the aircraft involved in this accident. That's quite a sobering thought.

Indeed Alan. Just a case of pure bad luck for those involved. The pilot had flown into that airport many times before. My next holiday there was in ‘83 and by then the new airport in the south was open.

Panorama`s investigation here in 4 parts. 3rd part discusses other dangerous vacation airports of the era. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpqIWUy_uwvkx9WpqDGr64Q

I remember that accident particularly well as my only (real world) flight into Los Rodeos only two years before was one of those ones which sticks in the mind. First of all I thought the flight was going to be cancelled as Aer Lingus decided to go on strike but they decided to lease in capacity so that they could operate their schedules. I remember when I arrived in Dublin Airport seeing a Montana Austria 707 parked on the pier and as that seemed to be the only aircraft at the pier with the range to fly to Tenerife, I assumed that was our transport for the flight. However when I got to the boarding gate I found there was another 707 hidden at the end of the pier belonging to Transasian Airlines (nothing to do with the current Taiwan based airline) an airline I had never heard of at the time. This 707, a short bodied ex-Pan Am 100 series, looked decidedly decrepit compared the nicely polished Montana Austria job just around the corner and the impression was not changed by the appearance of the very worn looking cabin on boarding!
 

I subsequently found that, contrary to what one might expect from the name, Transasian was an airline based at Luton who provided aircraft and crews on lease. To be fair the flight went fine but the weather at Los Rodeos was most un-Canary like with low cloud and high winds and the cabin crew were advised to take their seats early on the approach because of expected turbulence. The approach over the rising ground to runway 30 was indeed quite rough but the 707 suddenly dropped very alarmingly on final approach and full power was quickly applied although, for a few seconds, we seemed to continue to descend towards the ground before climbing back into the ‘scud’ for  a go-around. I’m sure this must have been a windsheer problem but it was a somewhat scary experience even at my then young fearless age. The pilot then went into a hold for about twenty minutes before attempting another approach, which I think none of the passengers were looking forward to, but, although quite turbulent again, was completed successfully. I remember noticing as we walked across the blustery ramp (no jet bridges in those days) just how low the rapidly moving clouds seemed to be above the airport. Definitely an airport with an accident waiting to happen!

Bill