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The immediate cause was that the KLM jet was in the process of taking off and hit the Pan Am plane as it taxied across the runway. The KLM pilot was ultimately held reponsible, and the Pan Am pilot cleared. The Dutch report tried to emphasize that the American plane had taxied slightly beyond the third exit, and reported that the KLM captain assumed that he was given clearance to take off due to the ambiguous terminology used at the time.<ref name=dutch_response>{{cite web | url=http://www.project-tenerife.com/engels/PDF/Dutch_comments.PDF | format=PDF | title=Dutch comments on the Spanish report | publisher=Project-Tenerife}}</ref>
The immediate cause was that the KLM jet was in the process of taking off and hit the Pan Am plane as it taxied across the runway. The KLM pilot was ultimately held reponsible, and the Pan Am pilot cleared. The Dutch report tried to emphasize that the American plane had taxied slightly beyond the third exit, and reported that the KLM captain assumed that he was given clearance to take off due to the ambiguous terminology used at the time.<ref name=dutch_response>{{cite web | url=http://www.project-tenerife.com/engels/PDF/Dutch_comments.PDF | format=PDF | title=Dutch comments on the Spanish report | publisher=Project-Tenerife}}</ref>
The primary cause of the accident was Captain Veldhuyzen van Zanten of the KLM plane taking off without the proper [[Air Traffic control|air traffic control]] clearance, resulting in the runway incursion. Contributing factors included: the presence of thick fog at the airport, greatly limiting visibility; the KLM plane taking on an extra 55,000 liters of fuel at a location that blocked the Pam Am plane from taking off, as well as making the plane heavier and therefore increased impact and worsened the post-crash fire; CVR data noise was speculated to be the air traffic controllers listening to a football game, but this allegation was never proven; and inadequate [[Crew resource management|crew resource management]]<ref>{{Cite journal|title = The Evolution of Crew Resource Management Training in Commercial Aviation|author1 = Helmreich, R. L.|author2 = Merritt, A. C.|author3 = Wilhelm, J. A.|journal = [[Int. J. Aviat. Psychol.]]|year = 1999|volume = 9|issue = 1|pages = 19–32|doi = 10.1207/s15327108ijap0901_2|pmid = 11541445|url = http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/group/helmreichlab/publications/pubfiles/Pub235.pdf |archivedate=March 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306162247/http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/group/HelmreichLAB/publications/pubfiles/Pub235.pdf |format=pdf}}</ref><ref>[http://www.fomento.es/MFOM/LANG_CASTELLANO/DIRECCIONES_GENERALES/ORGANOS_COLEGIADOS/CIAIAC/PUBLICACIONES/HISTORICOS/LOSRODEOS/los_rodeos_2_1.htm This Spanish report] says 55,500 liters of [[jet fuel]]. Based on a density of 0.8705 kg/l that weighs some 45 metric tons, or 49 US tons {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412154318/http://www.fomento.es/MFOM/LANG_CASTELLANO/DIRECCIONES_GENERALES/ORGANOS_COLEGIADOS/CIAIAC/PUBLICACIONES/HISTORICOS/LOSRODEOS/los_rodeos_2_1.htm |date=April 12, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/deadliest-plane-crash.html |title=The Deadliest Plane Crash - transcript|quote=The 55 tons of fuel the Dutch plane had taken on creates a massive fireball that seals the fate of everyone onboard |publisher=NOVA }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.project-tenerife.com/engels/PDF/Tenerife.pdf |title=Official report }} {{small|(5.98 MB)}}, section 5.2, p. 38 (PDF page 41 of 63): "... these circumstances could have induced the co-pilot not to ask any questions, assuming that his captain was always right"</ref>
The primary cause of the accident was Captain Veldhuyzen van Zanten of the KLM plane taking off without the proper [[Air traffic control|air traffic control]] clearance, resulting in the runway incursion. Contributing factors included: the presence of thick fog at the airport, greatly limiting visibility; the KLM plane taking on an extra 55,000 liters of fuel at a location that blocked the Pam Am plane from taking off, as well as making the plane heavier and therefore increased impact and worsened the post-crash fire; CVR data noise was speculated to be the air traffic controllers listening to a football game, but this allegation was never proven; and inadequate [[Crew resource management|crew resource management]]<ref>{{Cite journal|title = The Evolution of Crew Resource Management Training in Commercial Aviation|author1 = Helmreich, R. L.|author2 = Merritt, A. C.|author3 = Wilhelm, J. A.|journal = [[Int. J. Aviat. Psychol.]]|year = 1999|volume = 9|issue = 1|pages = 19–32|doi = 10.1207/s15327108ijap0901_2|pmid = 11541445|url = http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/group/helmreichlab/publications/pubfiles/Pub235.pdf |archivedate=March 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306162247/http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/group/HelmreichLAB/publications/pubfiles/Pub235.pdf |format=pdf}}</ref><ref>[http://www.fomento.es/MFOM/LANG_CASTELLANO/DIRECCIONES_GENERALES/ORGANOS_COLEGIADOS/CIAIAC/PUBLICACIONES/HISTORICOS/LOSRODEOS/los_rodeos_2_1.htm This Spanish report] says 55,500 liters of [[jet fuel]]. Based on a density of 0.8705 kg/l that weighs some 45 metric tons, or 49 US tons {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412154318/http://www.fomento.es/MFOM/LANG_CASTELLANO/DIRECCIONES_GENERALES/ORGANOS_COLEGIADOS/CIAIAC/PUBLICACIONES/HISTORICOS/LOSRODEOS/los_rodeos_2_1.htm |date=April 12, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/deadliest-plane-crash.html |title=The Deadliest Plane Crash - transcript|quote=The 55 tons of fuel the Dutch plane had taken on creates a massive fireball that seals the fate of everyone onboard |publisher=NOVA }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.project-tenerife.com/engels/PDF/Tenerife.pdf |title=Official report }} {{small|(5.98 MB)}}, section 5.2, p. 38 (PDF page 41 of 63): "... these circumstances could have induced the co-pilot not to ask any questions, assuming that his captain was always right"</ref>
== Aftermath ==
== Aftermath ==