Can Tenerife happen again?

The answer, is the history of what happen on 1th April 1999. Read the story here below, there is also a reconstruction of NTSB, a American organisation.

On April 1, 1999, just after 2 o'clock in the morning, Korean Air flight 36 and Air China 9018, both Boeing 747s, nearly collided on runway 14 Right at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Air China had just landed and was rolling out on runway 14 right when the tower controller instructed Korean Air to taxi into position and hold. After Air China exited the runway at taxiway T10, the tower controller instructed the flight to turn left on taxiway Kilo and cross runway 27 left. The tower controller then cleared Korean Air for takeoff. As the airplane was rolling down the runway, Air China deviated from its assigned taxi route and taxied on to runway 14 Right. The Korean Air captain saw the 747 taxiing on to the runway but it was too late to stop. Instead, Korean Air 36 lifted off earlier than normal and banked left to avoid striking Air China. The two aircraft, carrying 382 people, missed colliding by about 80 feet.

Tenerife can happen again. To view the reconstruction* of NTBS click here. 

*The graphical reconstruction utilizes available data from the Flight Data Recorders aboard each aircraft as well as a recording of Air Traffic Control transmissions made during the incident. The audio information is NOT from the Cockpit Voice Recorder of either aircraft. The visibility conditions during the incident are approximated in the reconstruction and may not be the actual conditions at the time of the incident. The reconstruction does not model the effects of takeoff/landing lights on either aircraft.

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