Crew 20 Survivors 290 Number of deaths 2 Operator Saudia Passenger count 272 | Passengers 272 Fatalities 2 Date 22 December 1980 Injuries (nonfatal) 7 Survivor 290 | |
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Summary Uncontrolled decompression due to mechanical failure Similar Iran Air Flight 291, Aeroflot Flight 4225, Advance Airlines Flight 4210, Air Wisconsin Flight 965, Thai Airways Flight 231 | ||
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 of the 292 passengers and crew on board.
Contents
Background
The accident aircraft was a Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar, registration HZ-AHJ (c/n 1161).
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.
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.