On the flight deck, Khowyter called out “gear down” and the landing gear dropped into place. “I’m gonna be, shut it down.”, But just when he was about to act, Curtis said, “Well, not yet, not yet, not yet!”. Saudi Arabian flight SV163 : it was around 1808 GMT on August 19, 1980, when Saudi Arabian Airlines, Flight 163, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, departed Riyadh, Saudi Arabia enroute to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. “We don’t know exactly, think we have full load,” Hasanain told the controller. He spent time running through parts of the approach and landing checklists that seemed entirely incongruent to the urgency of the situation. “I know, I said we will do it!” said the flight attendant. The pilots’ final transmission, in which they said that they were “trying to evacuate now,” also doesn’t support the idea that the crew waited for the king’s departure, since the 747 had not yet taken off at that time. The next morning, the hollow husk of the L-1011 stood there on the taxiway, a grisly monument to the hundreds who perished in what was then the third deadliest plane crash of all time. “So, we got to be returning back, right?” Khowyter asked, as though it wasn’t his decision. All 287 passengers and 14 crew on board the Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar registered HZ-AHK, died after the aircraft made an emergency landing back at the Riyadh airport. “I suggest we shut it down on short final,” said Curtis. While Khowyter shut down the engine, Hasanain again confirmed that the fire trucks were in position. “I would leave it the way it is, sir,” said Curtis. In trying to explain the pilots’ grave errors, the investigation naturally turned to their training histories. “Check how many passengers you have on board?” the controller asked. “Tell them we have actual fire in the cabin.”, “Riyadh Saudi Arabia one six three, we have an actual fire in the cabin now.”. While Hasanain called out navigational information, Curtis kept muttering to himself, “no problem, no problem, no problem at all.”. “And if you’d like to descend, you can descend to any altitude you like.”. RadarBox Stations - Canada Ranking - Real-time flight tracking with one of the best and most accurate ADS-B coverage worldwide. Although Saudia’s crew was not at fault in the accident, it did earn the dubious distinction of being the only airline involved in more than one of the six total crashes that have resulted in more than 300 fatalities. I have been to his grave in Libby, MT: Large headstone with a Lockheed L1011 TRI STAR from Saudi Airlines. The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer, Tenerife: The Deadliest Aircrash History Has Ever Witnessed, The Dreaded Word ‘Spinster’ and How it Birthed My Independence. At Riyadh International Airport, fire trucks scrambled to intercept the incoming L-1011. “Okay, after we are on the ground, yes,” said the exasperated flight attendant. A fire broke out after takeoff from Riyadh International Airport, and despite the crew’s decision to make an emergency landing back at the airport, the plane burst into flames and passengers died due to smoke inhalation. Moronic comment. Breaking his silence, Hasanain said, “Strange, no procedure for it…”, “No procedure for it?” Khowyter said, pausing momentarily. The L-1011 rolled down the runway for two minutes and forty seconds, while fire engines chased along behind. He had to repeat this twice to be understood. As the approach continued, Curtis said, “We definitely want — we definitely, we definitely want preference to land.”, “We definitely want preference to land, that’s for sure.”, “Yeah,” said Khowyter. “Uh… we better go, go back to Riyadh.”. Following up on Curtis’ earlier attempt to find the appropriate checklist for smoke in the cargo hold, Khowyter said, “There isn’t anything about it in the abnormal procedures, huh?”, “Nothing about it,” said Curtis. This was not considered excessive at the time, although it would be today. What was “B aft cargo” supposed to mean? He never ordered First Officer Hasanain to declare an emergency. Saudian lento 163 oli Saudian reittilento Karachista Riadin kautta Jeddaan.19. Saudi Arabia Travel Conditions Updates. Finally, almost at the end of the runway, the plane pulled off to the left into a taxiway and came to a stop. The smoke quickly overcame the passengers and crew as they queued for the still-unopened exits, killing all 301 people on board. On the 19th of August 1980, one of the deadliest disasters in aviation history unfolded on the runway at Riyadh International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital. “Tell him we’re coming back.”, Hasanain keyed the radio and said, “One six three, we’re coming back to Riyadh.”. Privacy, Cookies Policy, Terms and Conditions. “28 miles!”, “Did you tell the fire trucks to go to the back of the plane as soon as possible?”. “Both A and B aft cargo smoke detection,” Curtis repeated. They rattled off more items, most of them somewhat more important: altimeters, airspeed and groundspeed bugs…. What he was trying to do is left up to the imagination. After the test showed the alarms were working properly, Khowyter said, “We have cleared the situation.” It’s not clear why he said this or what he meant; perhaps he was misinterpreting the purpose of Curtis’ test. There were plenty of indications from the flight attendants that the situation was dire, but he might not have heard these, or perhaps he was lulled into a false sense of security by Flight Engineer Curtis’ repeated assertions that there was “no problem” and that things were under control. Meanwhile in the cockpit, the captain and first officer continued discussing the situation. Did you know 7 people actually survived this crash. “Shall I go back there and see if I can smell anything?” Curtis repeated. The plane wasn’t quite full, but he was close; with 301 people on board, the plane was certainly packed, if not quite full. I changed my seat reservation and extended my hotel stay only to learn about it the next morning. “Take your position,” he told her, without answering her question. All 287 passengers and 14 crew on board the Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar registered HZ-AHK, died after the aircraft made an emergency landing back at the Riyadh airport. CAD 188 * One-way / Economy. !our promise : we will keep email down to a minumum. Turning to the pilots, Curtis said, “There’s a fire back there,” as though this wasn’t already obvious. “All right, take them down,” said Curtis. “Okay, now number two engine is stuck,” said Khowyter, as though noticing for the first time. This offer was accepted and he was back with Saudia as a flight engineer in 1979. A flight attendant entered the cockpit yet again. “Affirmative, you are number one, cleared for approach and you can continue tower one eighteen one,” said the approach controller, transferring them to the tower controller. To Hasanain, he asked, “Where is the runway? This was inconsistent with the flight attendant’s observation of fire, so perhaps the actual flames were obscured by smoke when he went back to look. When you board an aircraft, you would hope your captain, first officer, and flight engineer are experienced, well-trained, and able to work well together in an emergency. One of the most important steps in an emergency landing with a fire on board is to make sure the flight attendants are ready for an immediate evacuation, but Khowyter seemed entirely nonchalant. As mentioned in this post, I just came across the shocking details of Saudia 163 in which 301 sadly perished in August 1980. “Not in A. Alternatively, Saudia might have been struggling to hire pilots and therefore reconsidered trainees who had earlier been rejected. Saudia Flight 163 was a scheduled passenger flight of Saudia that caught fire after takeoff from Riyadh International Airport (now the Riyadh Air Base) on a flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, 19 August 1980. Saudia Flight 163 19 August 1980, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Lockheed L-1011 Tristar In-flight fire followed by successful landing Passengers: 287 Crew: 14 Survivors: 0 If Chicken Little tells you that the sky is fallin' Even if it wasn't would you still come crawlin' Aerosmith lyri “Okay, the throttle in engine number two, it’s not returning back — stuck,” he said, trying to get the throttle to move. The names of the flight attendants on board Saudia flight 163, who so desperately fought to prevent the tragedy, are listed below, and this article is dedicated to them. “Okay, I’m shutting — okay, I’m shutting down engine number two,” said Khowyter. According to Busby, protocol mandated that all traffic pause and make way when the king’s 747 was taxiing, and he believed that the crew of flight 163 feared punishment if they delayed his departure by evacuating 300 passengers onto the active runway. “When we’re on the ground, yes,” said Curtis, making perhaps his most boneheaded comment of the entire flight. Check airport arrivals and departures status and aircraft history. “Aft cargo door is open sir,” said Curtis, reacting to a false warning caused by the fire. Required fields are marked *. On the following link, you will find the latest updates and information related to Travel Guidelines and Requirements due to COVID-19. There followed a confusing exchange between Hasanain and Khowyter in which Hasanain repeatedly mentioned the “first people” that they had been “talking about,” although Khowyter never seemed to figure out what his first officer meant. The 11 cabin crew, most of whom were Filipino, bravely fought the fire until they ran out of extinguishers. I made a lot of Saudia flights past the remains of SV163ST, until the new Riyadh airport was built. “All of you sit down!” a flight attendant said over the PA back in the passenger cabin. Everybody’s panicking in the back though,” he added, apparently having observed passengers fleeing the fire. However, his repetition of ‘no problem’ — probably to try to calm himself — may have signaled to Khowyter that the situation was under control, when it decidedly was not. Meanwhile, the flight attendants repeated their message over the PA. “Will all passengers remain in their seats and fasten seat belts,” she said. Captain Khowyter started whistling and singing, a habit which would resurface repeatedly throughout the flight. “There is no, any procedure for the two engine, it’s the same as three,” he added, confirming that there were no special steps needed to land with only two engines. Saudia Flight 163 was a scheduled Saudia passenger flight that caught fire after takeoff from Riyadh International Airport (now the Riyadh Air Base) en route to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 19 August 1980. The total L-1011 line experience of the three members of the flight crew was only 670 hours and all three were below-average pilots, according to their training records. Saudia Flight 163 was a scheduled passenger flight from Karachi to Jeddah, via Riyadh.On August 19, 1980 the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar with 287 passengers and 14 crew members on-board, caught fire seven minutes after take-off. As it turned out, this might have had deadly consequences later. As a result, the Saudi investigators recommended that the FAA change the designation of the L-1011’s aft cargo compartment to a class with more fire protections appropriate to its level of vulnerability. Meanwhile in the cockpit, Curtis scanned the instruments. “Tell them we’re returning back.”, “We are sixty miles out,” said Khowyter. The airplane was supposed to perform a routine regional flight to another city of Saudi Arabia, Jeddah. “Cleared to reverse course to Riyadh,” said the controller, “and, request reason?”. “Smoke detection, B aft cargo,” Curtis said, finally explaining what was wrong with the aft cargo compartment. Find the best flight deals to Canada today. Khowyter went back to singing. Saudia Flight 163 was a scheduled passenger flight of Saudia that caught fire after takeoff from Riyadh International Airport (now the Riyadh Air Base) on a flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, 19 August 1980. On the PA, the flight attendant repeated in Urdu, “Ladies and gentlemen, no need to panic, place your hands behind your head for impact position!”. In August 1980, a total of 301 people died on board Saudia flight 163. The first leg from Karachi to Riyadh was normal, and after the intermediate stop at Riyadh International Airport, 287 passengers and 14 crew boarded the aircraft for the journey westward to Jeddah. A flight attendant entered the cockpit and asked, “Do we have time to take the carts back?” She was referring to the serving carts, which had been taken out of their storage space in the downstairs galley, accessed via the galley elevator. “Now number two is stuck there, so something is wrong with it,” Khowyter said. Saudia flight 163 was a regularly scheduled flight from Karachi, Pakistan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with a stopover in Riyadh, operated by Saudi Arabia’s national airline using a wide body Lockheed L-1011 Tristar. “I would say so, yeah,” he said. “I don’t see it.”, A flight attendant leaned into the cockpit again, “Captain,” she said, “there is too much smoke in the back.”, “There is the airport road,” said Hasanain. “It’s… okay, call please,” Khowyter said to Hasanain. I knew several U.S. Co-Pilots with many more hours than their Saudia plane captains and if anything went wrong the co-pilot was the blame. We may never know. All 287 passengers and 14 crew on board the Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar died from smoke inhalation after the aircraft made a successful emergency landing at Riyadh. “It’s just smoke in the aft,” he said. For some reason, Curtis tested the alarm system again. In the background, Khowyter told Curtis to “take a look in the cabin” again. “Pressurization is set…”. Find the best flight deals to Canada today. Apparently desperate, he offered to pay for his own training to become a flight engineer if Saudia would rehire him afterward. Curtis clarified. Meanwhile, the controller relayed to the crew the firefighters’ concern about the engines. So you have to plame your people for being dumb not the Arabs. The Captain can evacuate the aircraft anytime he deems appropriate without any approval or consent by the tower. The passengers who boarded Saudia Flight 163 in August of 1980 were not so fortunate. The passengers who boarded Saudia Flight 163 in August of 1980 were not so fortunate. “There’s fire?” Curtis asked, apparently oblivious to the pandemonium in the rear of the plane. Captain Khowyter spent the next few moments urging First Officer Hasanain to tell the controllers where exactly the fire was located, until he finally did so. One final takeaway from the tragedy is that despite the apparent incompetence of the flight crew, the flight attendants acted heroically until the very end. Please click here It wasn’t long before things started to go wrong. The horrifying disaster boggles the mind: somehow, no one on board the jumbo jet survived a flight that never even crashed. Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 163, a Lockheed L-1011, became the world's deadliest aviation accident that did not involve a crash. Saudia Flight 163 was a scheduled passenger flight of Saudia that caught fire after takeoff from Riyadh International Airport (now the Riyadh Air Base) on a flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 19 August 1980. Fire trucks approached the aircraft, but found that the engines were still running, making it dangerous to get close. “Okay, cleared back,” said the controller. Its spread was exacerbated by the pilots’ inexplicable decision to close all the vents, which prevented the fumes from escaping the aircraft. “it’s stuck, present EPR.”. Was he really so oblivious to the danger his aircraft was in? Lento palasi onnistuneesti Jeddaan, mutta kaikki 287 matkustajaa ja 14 miehistön jäsentä kuolivat tulipalossa ennen kuin kone ehdittiin evakuoida. But the investigation still made numerous recommendations, including the aforementioned change to the cargo compartment classification. All 287 passengers and 14 crew on board the Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar registered HZ-AHK, died after the aircraft made an emergency landing back at the Riyadh airport. Please click here The resulting fire overpowered the protective panels on the ceiling of the cargo compartment and allowed fire to burn into the passenger cabin. “We’re about to land, ladies and gentlemen, place your hands behind your head for impact!” she said. Another smoke alarm went off. Suddenly, Captain Khowyter observed a new problem while trying to reduce thrust for the descent into the airport. In the end, no single explanation adequately accounts for all the unanswered questions that still surround the tragedy of flight 163. “Yeah,” said Hasanain, although he had not in fact specified that the fire was in the back of the plane. Khowyter further asked, “Did you turn it to the other one?” What he meant here is not at all clear. The flight landed at about 1836 and then taxied clear of the runway and came to a stop on an adjacent taxiway. “The girls wanted to know if you want to evacuate the airplane,” he said to Khowyter. In the tower, controllers heard the last transmission from the aircraft: “Affirmative, we are trying to evacuate now.” After that, all calls were met with silence. At that moment, a flight attendant burst into the cockpit. The next day, and days following, The Saudi Gazette News and rumors from the control tower indicated that the pilot of Saudi Flight SV163 had been told that a Saudi Prince was landing right behind him, that he needed to go to the end of runway and park on the taxi way until the prince was off the runway and the fire trucks could go to SV163. Just make sure to check your inbox.If you don't receive an email within 10 minutes, check also your spam folder. “Okay, no smoking sign,” said Khowyter. “The ventilation is not working in that one,” said Khowyter. In the background, a flight attendant made another PA announcement. “Will all passengers remain seated, will all passengers remain seated!” Switching to Urdu again, she shouted, “Ladies and gentlemen, sit down!”. “Negative,” said Khowyter. Curtis’ dyslexia probably made it hard for him to read his instruments and almost certainly prevented him from finding the right emergency checklist. To the other flight attendants, she ordered, “Girls, demonstrate impact position, girls, demonstrate impact position.”. “I think it’s all right now,” said Curtis, again giving the impression that the situation was fine. Changing the subject, Khowyter said, “Where is the airport? While Hasanain handled more procedural radio communications, one of the flight attendants went on the public address system and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, you are request to return to your seats!”, Meanwhile on the radio, the controller asked, “Is fire on engine, confirm?”. Please sit down and fasten your seatbelts, sit down and fasten your seatbelts please.”. Anyway, flight Saudia #SV163 was about to take off with 301 people onboard, including 15 infants. He claimed that fire trucks were also prevented from responding due to the presence of the king, but every other witness clearly saw fire trucks chasing the L-1011 down the runway and gathering around it as soon as it came to a stop. On the following link, you will find the latest updates and information related to Travel Guidelines and Requirements due to COVID-19. There was no reason to inform the destination airport that they wouldn’t be arriving. There is reason to doubt Busby’s account of events, however. “How many passengers?” Hasanain asked, turning to Khowyter. Your email address will not be published. As has been mentioned it is possible that the outflow vales were melted closed by the fire. There very much was a problem, but investigators believed Curtis might simply have been trying to calm himself rather than giving his actual interpretation of the situation. Curtis repeatedly made helpful suggestions for the evacuation that Captain Khowyter ignored. Captain Khowyter had been a pilot for Saudia since 1965, but had only recently switched to flying L-1011s and had just 388 hours on the aircraft type. You have no notifications. Just in B.” Curtis meant that smoke detector A in the C-3 compartment had not gone off, only smoke detector B, but it seems doubtful that this is what Khowyter was asking about. Of all the cockpit crew, Curtis seemed to be the most cognizant of the danger they were in, but Khowyter’s comment that the flight engineer was a “jackass” or “donkey” suggests that he did not look beyond Curtis’ human faults to see that his advice was actually useful. Another 15 seconds dragged on as the pilots went through the checklist. “Okay, it will be one six zero,” said Curtis. For some reason he announced the activation of the smoke alarm again. At that moment, toxic smoke containing carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, and other deadly chemicals swept through the plane. Subscribe our Newsletter ! “It’s just a fire in the ah, smoke,” Curtis said, stumbling over his words. He also experienced difficulties during training. Arabs ??? At least five empty Co2 extinguishers and at least one water extinguisher were found in the wreckage of the cabin, strewn near the area where the fire originated. Passengers in the rear smoking section would have started to panic and try to move forward, although all indications are that the flight attendants managed to maintain order at this point. First Officer Hasanain was also a complete non-presence who tended to speak only when ordered to do so by Captain Khowyter. There was a momentary flurry of activity during which Hasanain discussed the radio while a flight attendant made another PA announcement in the background. “No,” said Khowyter. Observing dense smoke inside the plane, firefighters called out to anyone who might be alive, but there was no response. “No problem,” said Curtis. “We’ve got a fire back there,” he said, slamming the door behind him. Saudia Flight 163 was a scheduled passenger flight of Saudia that caught fire after takeoff from Riyadh International Airport (now the Riyadh Air Base) on a flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, 19 August 1980. Either theory is simply speculation. “Okay,” said Khowyter, “As soon as possible we’re gonna be down.”. Like any other air carrier aircraft the outflow valves should open automatically on touchdown with the landing gear squat switch. “No?” Curtis asked, continuing the earlier conversation. All 287 passengers and 14 crew on board the Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar, registration HZ-AHK, died after the aircraft made an emergency landing back at the Riyadh airport. Your email address will not be published. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. “The girls have demonstrated impact position, please go down half a minute before touchdown, it’s half a minute before touchdown, hands behind your head.” There was a moment’s pause, then she continued. “Good,” said Khowyter. “Where is the airport?” Khowyter asked. Perhaps Curtis believed that it was simply something burning in a passenger’s carry-on that could be easily contained. Oh, but it’s not racist to blame Westerners as you put it? Mar 22, 2017 - 1980 ♦ August 19 – Saudia Flight 163, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, lands at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when a fire breaks out on board; the evacuation of the plane is delayed and all 301 on board die. “Piece of cake, piece of cake,” he said, probably trying to calm himself. In the background, the flight attendant continued her desperate efforts to clear the aisles. Fly to top Canada destinations with Air Canada and experience the premium service of a four-star airline, certified by Skytrax. Saudia Flight 163 was a scheduled passenger flight of Saudia that caught fire after takeoff from Riyadh International Airport (now the Riyadh Air Base) on a flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, 19 August 1980. I have tried to read and research every article available on this. The report does not explain why he was “reinstated by committee action” after failing out of the training program two years earlier, but it suggests that he could have been rehired due to nepotism, bribery, or some other insider connection. If you have any clue about aviation you will know that the emergency will be sent if the commander of the air craft will ask for it because the don’t know what’s happening inside the plane “Fasten seatbelts, all of you sit down!” she repeated, in Urdu this time. They were evidently using the normal approach checklist, as though this wasn’t an emergency landing. Can you see the runway?”, “No, not yet, not yet,” said Hasanain. Cockpit voice recorder transcript of the August 19, 1980 fire of a Saudia Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 200 (Flight 163) at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Someone announced, “Five hundred [feet].” Curtis noted low pressure on the number two hydraulic system, which had been powered by engine number two.
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