Part 4/9:
The routine nature of the flight soon began to unravel as they approached Tenerife. The crew had expected a typical landing pattern when they realized prevailing winds were forcing them to utilize an alternative runway, Runway 12, which was less familiar. Complicating matters was the unpredictability of fog in the area, which could obscure mountainous terrain, creating challenges for visibility.
Despite the weather conditions suggesting about 6 kilometers of visibility at the airport, mountains surrounding the area were shrouded in fog. Although the weather wasn’t poor enough to restrict landing capabilities, it was important to note that once descending into the area, confusion could easily take hold, particularly given the rapidly changing conditions in the Canarian atmosphere.