Date 26 November 1979 Passengers 145 Fatalities 156 (all) | Site Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Crew 11 | |
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Summary In-flight fire (source of fire's ignition undetermined) | ||
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740 was a Hajj pilgrimage flight from Kano, Nigeria to Karachi, Pakistan with an intermediate stopover in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Operated by Pakistan International Airlines, on 26 November 1979, the Boeing 707-340C serving the route crashed shortly after takeoff from Jeddah International Airport. All 156 people on board were killed. The first warning of an emergency came 21 minutes after takeoff, when the pilot radioed a request to return to Jeddah because smoke was coming into the cabin and cockpit. 15 minutes later, Jeddah control tower heard the pilot shout "Mayday! Mayday!" before the radio went silent. An in-flight fire in the cabin area, through its intensity and rapid extension, eventually incapacitated the flight crew. The cause of the cabin fire was not determined.
The accident remains, to date, the third-deadliest crash on Saudi Arabian soil and the third-deadliest crash involving a Boeing 707.