Saudia Flight 162

Saudia Flight 162

A Saudia Tristar similar to the accident aircraft
Occurrence summary
Date	22 December 1980
Summary	Uncontrolled decompression due to mechanical failure
Site	over Qatar
Passengers	272
Crew	20
Injuries (non-fatal)	7
Fatalities	2
Survivors	290
Aircraft type	Lockheed L-1011 TriStar
Operator	Saudi Arabian Airlines
Registration	HZ-AHJ
Flight origin	Dhahran International Airport, Saudi Arabia
Destination	Karachi International Airport, Pakistan

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 two of the 292 passengers and crew on board.

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 inside the undercarriage bay, 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.

References

• Aviation Safety Network accident synopsis