The Tragic Flight That Landed Safely, but All on Board Died

The plane crash in Saudi Arabia on 19 August 1980 was an exceptionally tragic event. Although the aircraft managed to land after encountering trouble, hundreds of people on board died.

According to an official report by the Saudi Presidency of Civil Aviation, the accident involved Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 163, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar (registration HZ-AHK), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 19 August 1980.

The aircraft took off from Riyadh Airport for Jeddah carrying 301 people. About six and a half minutes after take-off, a smoke warning alarm indicated a problem in the rear cargo compartment.

The flight engineer confirmed smoke or fire in the rear cabin. The captain decided to return to Riyadh and asked for the fire service to be put on standby. He reported that the No. 2 engine power lever was stuck and shut down the engine, while the fire in the rear cabin was reported to be worsening.

The aircraft nevertheless made a normal emergency landing on Runway 01 at Riyadh Airport. It did not stop immediately on the runway, instead turning off onto a taxiway before coming to a halt.

About 23 minutes after the engines were shut down — 26 minutes after the aircraft had stopped — firefighters managed to open the right-hand R2 door from outside. The cabin was already filled with thick smoke, with no signs of life. Soon afterwards, the entire interior of the aircraft was engulfed in flames.

All 301 people on board died: 287 passengers, including 15 babies, and 14 crew members.

The cause of the deaths

Autopsy and toxicology findings showed that all the victims died from a combination of inhaling toxic gases, including carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide; smoke inhalation causing unconsciousness or respiratory distress; exposure to intense heat; and lack of oxygen.

The accident was triggered by a fire in cargo compartment C-3. However, the initial source of the fire was never determined.