I was 13-years old at that time. My family and myself lived in Las Palmas at that time. It was Sunday afternoon and I watched TV. First I remember the news about the bomb at the airport. The bomb was placed by Antonio Cubillo’s terrorist, it was an organization based in Alger. They fought for the independence of Canary Island.

After the news the TV program continue normally, but suddenly they interrupted the program. The said it have happened a serious accident in Tenerife (I don’t remember if they mentioned it was an airplane accident?), but they asked all hospital staff (doctors, nurses, paramedics) to interrupt their weekend leave, holidays and return to their positions at the hospitals immediately.
I realize then that something really serious have happened, because they said at the TV this several times.

Some days later I remember that they interviewed the Chief Doctor of Tenerife University Hospital. The Chief doctor said, "We have trained for this kind of disasters, but we coulnd’t believe that we really will get someday in one shot several hundreds of victims."
This is what I remember from this accident, I don’t remember any pictures from TV or newspapers. For sure this Sunday afternoon in 1977 I remember forever.

--PK

I was enroute to Amsterdam at the time of the crash in the Canary Islands. I also was on a KLM 747-Flight 644 from New York's Kennedy Airport. I had no idea that anything had happened until I arrived in Amsterdam and that is when I heard about the accident. My husband was frantic because my flight was 30 minutes late arriving. It was just a terrible accident, and my loved ones in the states were sure relieved when I called them to let them know that I had arrived safely.

--Anonymous

I was on holiday with my family on Tenerife when this accident happened. I was nine years old. I clearly remember the shocked, dazed attitude of the adults around me when we heard the news. I must confess to be being pretty ambivalent about it at the time. I believe their is still evidence of some wreckage at that particular airport (now rarely used) to this day. [Editor's note: It was in 1996 when one of the crew went back to Tenerife for a documentary I saw in 1997.]

--Stephen Curry

This accident occurred when I was in the sixth grade. My Aunt was a travel agent at the time and had recently visited the Canary Islands herself. She had dear friends on this flight who perished. I remember this event as the first disaster that seemed real to me. I remember writing a current event report on it in school. Seems small now in light of 9/11.

--Anonymous

My Grandfather, John Cooper, was was one of the survivors of the Pan Am / KLM air disaster. He was employed as a Pan Am engineer and was 'hitching a lift' aboard the flight. When flying he always carried a pocket shoe shine box as good luck, but ironically on this day he had left it behind. Thankfully I have had the chance to meet my grandfather due to his fortune on this day. I offer my condolences to those who have not been so fortunate.

--Emma Cooper

For futher details about this crash, you may find the study of Karl Weick in Journal of Management Vol 16 n°3 (1990). He highlights some collective responsability in this crash, under cognitive arguments.

--FrenchStudent

I was 9 years old, living in Switzerland but flying to Spain frequently to see my relatives as my mum's Spanish. I never understood why my mum was so frightened of flying until the day I picked up a magazine at my grandparents in Seville which had a full report on the disaster. It must have been a few days after the accident. The impact it had on me has stayed with me forever. I fly a lot, but every single time I fly I always, always think of the Tenerife collision. One of the most lasting, if not THE most lasting images I have is a full colour, two page spread of one male survivor of the PanAm, standing in front of the burning wreck, clothes in shreds, covered in blood which my grandparents had in their house at the time (it was in Interviu, a Spanish mag). Nearly 27 years on I still think of that man, want to know who he was, where he is. It's incredible how something like this, even though not personally involved, could have such a tremendous impact on me. My heart goes out to everybody who was personally affected by this tragedy by losing someone dear to them.

--Erika