After 45 Years, Recording in Airplane Captured Pilot’s Final Words Before Crash That Killed 146

• Forty-five years after the tragic crash of Dan-Air Flight 1008 in Tenerife, the haunting final words of its pilots continue to resonate, shedding light on the fatal miscommunication that led to the disaster
• The catastrophic accident claimed the lives of 146 people after air traffic control issued unclear instructions, sending the aircraft on a collision course with the mountainous terrain
• The tragedy not only devastated families but also prompted aviation authorities to implement stricter communication protocols to prevent similar disasters in the future

The final words of Captain Arthur Whelan, flying a British Dan-Air flight that tragically crashed into the Tenerife mountains 45 years ago, continue to haunt aviation experts and enthusiasts.

According to Dailymail UK, the disaster, which claimed the lives of all 146 people onboard, remains one of the most infamous aviation accidents in British history.

History of aviation disasters

Tenerife had already gained a notorious reputation for aviation catastrophes. Just three years before the Dan-Air Flight 1008 tragedy, the world witnessed the deadliest plane crash in history at Tenerife North Airport.

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In 1977, two planes collided on the runway due to poor visibility, killing 583 people.

In 1980, the rugged terrain and unpredictable weather conditions around Tenerife South Airport proved challenging once more, contributing to the devastating fate of Flight 1008.

Pilot error and miscommunication led to disaster

Captain Whelan, aged 50, along with First Officer Michael Firth, 33, and Flight Engineer Raymond Carey, 33, had decades of experience between them.

However, a sudden change in wind direction forced them to alter their approach to land from the opposite side.

Air traffic controller Justo Camin, 34, instructed the flight to enter a left-hand holding pattern until another aircraft cleared the airspace.

His directions, however, contained a crucial error—he mistakenly said “turn” instead of “turns,” causing the pilots to make only a small adjustment rather than the required 150-degree turn.

The recording from the cockpit shows the team begin to get uneasy and experts believe if they had asked the air controller to clarify the instructions there might have been time to veer themselves off their path to destruction.

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Mr Camin, thinking the plane is over the sea, tells Flight 1008 that they can continue descending another 1,000ft, expecting them to slowly come in over the runway.

Captain Whelan says to his cop-pilot: 'I don't like that.' He responds: 'They want us to keep going more round, don't they?' Seconds later, the automatic ground alarm begins blaring 'pull up, pull up!'

Captain Whelan quickly turns into a sharp right instead of pulling up as co-pilot Firth suggests other routes after reading the charts.

Flight engineer Carey tells them 'let's get out of here' as Captain Whelan continues turning to the right as they continued to lose 300ft of altitude.

This was the last chance for the plane to save itself from its tragic fate. The flight engineer begins shouting 'bank angle, bank angle!' before the CVR cuts out as the plan slams headlong into La Esperanza.

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Debris was scattered across the mountain range and the tail section careened onwards for several hundred metres before plummeting into a ravine.

There was not a single body that was found intact and most remains could not be identified. At 5,450ft, the plane was only 92ft from the summit and it obliterated instantly.

Family of pilot releases his final words

Legit.ng earlier reported that the final words of Jonathan Campos, the pilot of the doomed American Airlines jet that crashed and killed 64 people, have been released.

34-year-old Campos had expressed his excitement about an upcoming family cruise as he boarded the plane before the devastating crash.

Source: Legit.ng