Saudia Flight 162
Encyclopedia
Saudia Flight 162 was a scheduled flight from Dhahran International Airport
, Saudi Arabia
to Karachi International Airport, Pakistan
that suffered an explosive decompression in the middle of the flight, above international waters off Qatar
.
, registration HZ-AHJ (cn 193S-1161). The -200 series were the third production model of the L-1011, using Rolls-Royce
RB.211-524B engines
to improve its performance in hot and high-altitude conditions. Saudi Arabian Airlines
was the launch customer for the -200 model, and received its first aircraft in May of 1977.
international waters, some passengers heard a loud explosion, filling the cabin with smoke. The pilots then made a mayday
call to air traffic control at Doha International Airport
. An emergency descent was initiated, followed by a successful landing.
Some hours later, after passengers and crew had left the aircraft, a hole was discovered in the floor, near the right wing. Afterwards, search and rescue
boats found and recovered the bodies of two passengers who had been ejected from the hole.
(FAA) was found to have had inadequate oversight of the manufacturers.
Dhahran International Airport
Dhahran International Airport in Dhahran formerly served the Ash Sharqiyah Province in Saudi Arabia. In 1999, after the opening of King Fahd International Airport, all scheduled flights were shifted out of Dhahran and the airport now serves as the King Abdulaziz Air Base of the Royal Saudi Air...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
to Karachi International Airport, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
that suffered an explosive decompression in the middle of the flight, above international waters off Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
.
Background
The accident aircraft was a Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStarLockheed L-1011
The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, commonly referred to as the L-1011 or TriStar, is a medium-to-long range, widebody passenger trijet airliner. It was the third widebody airliner to enter commercial operations, following the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. Between 1968 and 1984, Lockheed...
, registration HZ-AHJ (cn 193S-1161). The -200 series were the third production model of the L-1011, using Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
RB.211-524B engines
Rolls-Royce RB211
The Rolls-Royce RB211 is a family of high-bypass turbofan engines made by Rolls-Royce plc and capable of generating 37,400 to 60,600 pounds-force thrust. Originally developed for the Lockheed L-1011 , it entered service in 1972 and was the only engine to power this aircraft type...
to improve its performance in hot and high-altitude conditions. Saudi Arabian Airlines
Saudi Arabian Airlines
Saudi Arabian Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah. It operates domestic and international scheduled flights to over 90 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America...
was the launch customer for the -200 model, and received its first aircraft in May of 1977.
Accident
Shortly after the aircraft began climbing through 29,000 feet over QatarQatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
international waters, some passengers heard a loud explosion, filling the cabin with smoke. The pilots then made a mayday
Mayday (distress signal)
Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications. It derives from the French venez m'aider, meaning "come help me"....
call to air traffic control at Doha International Airport
Doha International Airport
Doha International Airport is the only commercial airport in Qatar. It has three mosques, free Wi-Fi, a duty-free area, a few eateries and 42 parking bays for aircraft. There are also 60 check-in gates, 8 baggage claim belts and over 1,000 car parking spaces.The airport suffers from...
. An emergency descent was initiated, followed by a successful landing.
Some hours later, after passengers and crew had left the aircraft, a hole was discovered in the floor, near the right wing. Afterwards, search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
boats found and recovered the bodies of two passengers who had been ejected from the hole.
Probable cause
The probable cause of the incident was determined to be a fatigue failure of a wheel flange on the main landing gear. This failure had resulted in one of the tires blowing out. The debris from this explosion had penetrated the cabin of the airplane, causing the explosive decompression. B.F. Goodrich Co. and Lockheed were found to share responsibility for their failure to assess safety hazards associated with this particular wheel design. In addition, the United States Federal Aviation AdministrationFederal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
(FAA) was found to have had inadequate oversight of the manufacturers.