Saudia Flight 162

Saudia Flight 162 was a scheduled flight from Dhahran International Airport, Saudi Arabia to Karachi International Airport, Pakistan that suffered a high-altitude uncontrolled decompression, above international waters off Qatar, killing 2 children who were among the 271 passengers.[2][1]

Saudia Flight 162
The aircraft involved in the accident taxiing at Charles de Gaulle Airport on 17 August 1980.
Occurrence
Date22/23 December 1980[lower-alpha 1]
SummaryUncontrolled decompression due to mechanical failure
Siteover Qatar
Aircraft
Aircraft typeLockheed L-1011 TriStar
OperatorSaudi Arabian Airlines
RegistrationHZ-AHJ
Flight originDhahran International Airport, Saudi Arabia
DestinationKarachi International Airport, Pakistan
Occupants292
Passengers272
Crew20
Fatalities2
Injuries7
Survivors290

Background

The accident aircraft was a Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar, registration HZ-AHJ (c/n 1161).[1][3][4]

Accident

Shortly after takeoff, as the aircraft reached an altitude of 29,000 feet during its climb, one of its main wheels failed catastrophically inside the undercarriage bay, exploding and creating a hole in the fuselage and cabin floor. An emergency descent was initiated, followed by a successful landing at Qatar's Doha International Airport. Two passengers were killed when they were ejected through the hole in the cabin floor.[1]

Probable cause

The probable cause of the incident was determined to be a fatigue failure of a flange on the hub of one of the main landing gear wheels. 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 Administration (FAA) was found to have had inadequate oversight of the manufacturers.[1]

Aftermath
The aircraft involved in 1996, 16 years after the accident.

The aircraft was repaired and returned to service with Saudia.[1] It was retired in 1999 and later scrapped.[5]

Notes
  1. The accident happened at 2:12 a.m. local time shortly after its early morning takeoff on 23 December, and at 2312 UTC 22 December.[1]

References
  1. Ranter, Harro. "Accident description". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  2. "2 children plunge to death as jet is torn open in flight". Baltimore Sun. 24 December 1980. p. A4.
  3. "Lockheed L-1011 TriStar — MSN 1161 — HZ-AHJ Last Airline Saudia". www.airfleets.net. Airfleets aviation. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  4. "Lockheed L1011-1-15(200) HZ-AHJ". JetPhotos.Net. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  5. "Registration Details For HZ-AHJ (Saudi Arabian Airlines) L-1011 Tristar-200". www.planelogger.com. PlaneLogger. Retrieved 24 November 2020.

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