Saudi Arabian Airlines - SAUDIA

Airbus A330

The aircraft departed Madinah-Mohammad Bin Abdulazziz Airport at 1724LT on a schedule service to Dhaka with 142 passengers and 10 crew members on board. At 1746LT, while cruising at FL370, the crew informed ATC about a malfunction of the green hydraulic system followed by a 'green hydraulic system reservoir low level' warning. The crew decided to return to Madinah but this was not possible due to deteriorating weather conditions, so it was decided to divert to Jeddah-King Abdulazziz Airport. Several attempts to lower the nose gear were unsuccessful and only both main landing gear seemed to be down. After a circuit to burn fuel, the crew was cleared to descent and expected to make a low pass over runway 16C but neither the control tower nor ground staff were able to confirm the nose gear extension. Eventually, the crew was cleared to land on runway 34R with the nose gear retracted. The aircraft landed 700 metres past the runway threshold and the nose landed 1,350 metres further, causing both engine nacelles to hit the runway surface. The airplane slid for few hundred metres and came to rest 700 metres from the runway end. All 152 occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Boeing 747-200

Following an uneventful cargo flight from Jeddah, the crew completed the approach and landing procedures on runway 04 at Abuja-Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport. During the landing roll, the aircraft overran the displaced threshold then veered to the right and veered off runway. While contacting a grassy area, the aircraft collided with several parked excavator equipment and trucks. The aircraft came to a halt and was severely damaged to both wings and engines. All six occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Airbus A300-600

On 1 May 2012, aircraft TC-OAG, an Airbus A300-605R was performing a commercial flight for Saudi Arabian Airlines (SVA) as SVA2865. SVA 2865 departed from Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport (PMAI) Madinah at 08h50 en-route to the King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. SVA 2865 was on a positioning flight with 10 crew members and no passengers. No discrepancies were noted on this aircraft prior to departure from Madinah. The visibility at Jeddah was good with a few clouds present. During the initial ILS approach to runway 16 Right (16R), while at 8 nautical miles (nm) and 2600 feet (ft), the landing gear handle was lowered. Both main landing gear extended and locked down and, the nose gear doors opened but the nose landing gear did not lower. The Captain who was then the Pilot Monitoring (PM) took over the controls and carried out a missed approach. The First Officer (FO) became the Pilot Monitoring (PM). SVA 2865 was then given an area to the northeast of Jeddah to carry out attempts at lowering the nose gear. The flight crew attempted to manually free fall the nose landing gear at least ten (10) times. The nose landing gear would not lower into the locked position, but the nose gear doors remained open during all those attempts. As a precautionary measure, SVA 2865 performed a fly-by of runway 16R at 500 ft. The air traffic controller confirmed that the nose landing gear (NLG) was not down. SVA 2865 was vectored over the Red Sea to lower the fuel load, thus reducing the landing weight. During this period, the Fire & Rescue Services (FRS) at Jeddah foamed a portion of runway 16 Left (16L) between taxiway Kilo 5 (K5) and K2. The majority of the FRS vehicles were standing by at the junction of taxiways K4 and K3. SVA 2865 was vectored for an instrument approach for Runway 16L. The Auto Pilot and the Auto Throttle Systems were OFF. The surface winds were from 220° at 12 knots (kt), gusting to 19 kt and the temperature was + 37 Celsius (°C). The flight crew used the "Landing with Nose Landing Gear Abnormal" checklist ensuring the aircraft was properly prepared and configured for the approach, the before landing, the flare and the touchdown sequences, including when the aircraft stopped and the necessary procedures to secure the aircraft before evacuation. The aircraft landed on its main landing gear 4000 ft past the threshold of runway 16L. The nose of the aircraft was slowly lowered to the runway with the nose landing gear doors touching the runway within the foamed area 4500 ft from the end of runway 16L. The front of the fuselage then touched the runway within the last portion of foam, 3500 ft from the end of runway 16L. The nose area of the aircraft slid on the runway, where sparks were present until the aircraft came to a full stop 1500 ft prior to the end of runway 16L. As soon as the aircraft passed by the position of the FRS vehicles, the FRS vehicles gave chase to the aircraft and reached it within 30 seconds after it came to a full stop. Although there was no post-crash fire, the FRS personnel applied water and foam to the nose area of the aircraft. All of the crew members were evacuated from the aircraft by ladder provided by the FRS. The crew was taken to the airport clinic as a precautionary measure. All were released the same day. The accident occurred at 14h49 on runway 16L at the KAIA - Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Boeing 747-300

After landing at Madinah-Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport runway 17, the crew completed the braking procedure and vacated via taxiway B. For unknown reasons, the aircraft departed the concrete zone and entered a sandy area, causing the left main gear to dug in and both left engines n°1 and 2 to struck the ground. All 277 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Boeing 747-300

The crew was completing a positioning flight from Cairo to Jeddah. During the takeoff roll, the engine n°4 experienced an uncontained failure. The takeoff procedure was rejected and the aircraft came to a halt and later transferred to a hangar. All 22 crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair.

McDonnell Douglas MD-90

A Saudi Arabian Airlines MD-90 was substantially damaged during a runway excursion accident Riyadh (RUH). The seven crew members escaped unhurt. The airplane operated on a repositioning flight from Jeddah. During the flight, the captain discussed the use of manual spoilers during landing with the first officer. He further stated that; as he "had only around 400 hours in the aircraft" as a captain, he wanted to "see the effect' of landing with manual spoilers. He further explained that the flight provided an opportunity to "do it manually" (use manual spoilers) as it was a repositioning flight and, the weather and dry runway conditions were ideal. As such, he discussed the procedure with the first officer and elected to land with the auto ground spoiler system unarmed. The flight was uneventful. During the approach to Riyadh the Landing Checklist was completed, which included the arming of the auto ground spoiler system for landing. After the Landing Checklist was completed, the captain disarmed the auto ground spoiler system with the intention of applying manual ground spoilers after landing. The auto braking system was also not armed prior to landing. The final approach and touchdown to runway 15 Left at Riyadh were uneventful. The touchdown airspeed was 135 knots calibrated air speed (CAS). On touchdown, the captain manually extended the spoiler/speed brake lever, but did not latch it in the fully extended (EXT) position (fully aft and latched upwards). The captain then removed his right hand from the speed brake lever in order to deploy the thrust reversers. The first officer noted the movement of the spoiler/speed brake lever and called "Spoilers Deployed". Since the spoiler/speed brake lever was not fully pulled aft and latched upwards, the lever automatically returned to the forward retracted (RET) position. This movement of the spoiler/speed brake lever was not noticed by the captain and the first officer. In response, the ground spoilers re-stowed before being fully deployed and, a speed brake/flap configuration (SPD BRK/FLP CONFIG) Level 1 Amber Alert occurred. This alert occurred as the aircraft was not yet fully weight on wheels (WOW) and the aircraft still sensed a flight condition with speed brakes deployed and flaps extended beyond six degrees. Six seconds after touchdown on the right main landing gear, the nose gear touched down and the aircraft transferred to a ground condition (WOW on nose gear and main wheel spin up). The SPD BRK/FLP CONFIG alert extinguished when the nose gear oleo actuated ground shift on landing. After touchdown, the aircraft banked to the right and began to drift right of the runway centerline. In response, he applied left rudder, deployed the thrust reversers and applied left aileron. But this did not have any noticeable effect. The captain saw the approaching G4 taxiway exit and in an attempt to keep the aircraft from leaving the runway surface beyond the G4 taxiway exit, he decided to direct the aircraft towards the taxiway. He then applied a right rudder input which caused the aircraft to commence a rapid sweeping turn to the right towards the G4 taxiway exit. The aircraft left the runway at high speed, traversed the full width of the G4 taxiway, and exited the surface at its southern edge. The aircraft then entered a sand section and travelled the distance infield between the edge of the G4 taxiway and the adjacent section of taxiway GOLF. The left main landing gear collapsed during this time. The aircraft came to rest on taxiway GOLF. There was no post impact fire.

Boeing 747-300

TF-ARS (B747-300) was on a scheduled flight from Medina (Saudi Arabia) to Dhaka (Bangladesh), flight number SVA810. The flight crew consisted of a commander, copilot and a flight engineer. The cabin crew consisted of 15 crew members including one senior cabin attendant. Additionally to the cabin crew, one “off duty” cabin crew member was in the cabin. According to the commander, the flight from Medina and the landing at Dhaka was uneventful. During the landing roll, approximately 50 seconds after touchdown, the flight crew received a call from the tower controller where the tower controller inquired whether the aircraft was under control. The flight crew responded to the call by stating that the aircraft was completely under control and asked what the problem seemed to be. The controller then informed the flight crew that fire was observed at the right wing area. At this point the Aerodrome Fire Operator had already activated the fire fighters as well as the rescue team. As soon as the controller had informed the flight crew about the fire, the flight crew received a No. 3 engine fire alarm. The co-pilot immediately discharged the first engine fire bottle and the flight crew requested firefighter assistance and shut down all engines. The co-pilot waited 20 seconds until the second fire bottle was discharged. At this time the commander called the senior cabin attendant to the flight deck using the public address system (PA). This command was followed by a command to the cabin crew to remain seated. The commander informed the senior cabin attendant of the situation and instructed him to evaluate the situation and to evacuate the passengers if necessary. The senior cabin attendant went back down to the main deck and saw the smoke and the fire through the windows. He then commanded the cabin crew as well as passengers, by using a megaphone, to evacuate the aircraft. The cabin attendant at location L2 (see figure 6-7, page 21) had already operated the emergency exit and started evacuating the passengers. Cabin attendants at locations L1 and R2 (see figure 6-7, page 21) also operated their respective emergency exits. After realizing that smoke and fire were at the right hand side, the emergency exit at R2 was blocked by one of the cabin attendants. All passengers managed to evacuate without serious injuries and the fire department at Zia International Airport managed to extinguish the fire successfully. The damage to the aircraft was later evaluated as beyond economical repair.

Boeing 747-300

Following technical problems with the engines, the aircraft was transferred to a hangar at Kuala Lumpur for maintenance. In the evening, a team of six technicians was dispatched to convoy the aircraft to the main terminal where 319 passengers should embark on a flight to Jeddah. While on a taxiway, the engineers attempted to turn to another taxiway when control was lost. The aircraft veered off taxiway and came to rest, nose first, in a drainage ditch. All six occupants were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. At the time of the accident, only the engine n°2 and 3 only were running and it is believed that the auxiliary hydraulic pump switches were in the OFF position. Thus, the nosewheel steering system was inoperative as well as the brakes.

Boeing 737-200

During the takeoff roll from Najran Airport runway 06/24, at a speed of 95 knots, the right engine thrust suddenly increased. Few seconds later, at a speed of 120 knots, the exhaust gas temperature warning came on in the cockpit panel. The captain decided to abort and initiated an emergency landing procedure. Speed brakes were deployed but the thrust reversers could not be activated. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, lost its undercarriage and right engine before coming to rest. All 85 occupants evacuated safely.

Boeing 747-100

The aircraft departed New Delhi-Indira Gandhi Airport at 1833LT on a flight to Jeddah with an intermediate stop in Dhahran, carrying 289 passengers and 23 crew members. After takeoff, the crew was instructed to climb to FL140 via route G452. Seven minutes after takeoff, while cruising at an altitude of 14,000 feet, the aircraft collided with a Kazakhstan Airlines (Kazair) Ilyushin II-76TD that was descending to New Delhi Airport. Registered UN-76435, it was completing flight KZA1907 from Shymkent with 27 passengers and 10 crew members on board. After the collision, both aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in an open field located about 3 km Charkhi Dadri, some 80 km west of New Delhi-Indira Gandhi Airport. Both aircraft were destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 349 occupants in both aircraft were killed.

Lockheed L-1011 TriStar

About 2108LT, the airplane departed Riyadh Airport en route to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Six minutes and 54 seconds after takeoff, while climbing to FL350, visual and aural warnings indicated smoke in the aft cargo compartment C-3. Climbing through FL220, a return to Riyadh was initiated. About two minutes later smoke was noted in the aft of the cabin, and passengers were panicking. At 18:25:26 the no. 2 engine throttle was stuck. The flight landed at about 2136LT and then taxied clear of the runway and came to a stop on an adjacent taxiway. While parked on the taxiway, the aircraft was destroyed by the fire and the three hundred and one persons on board the flight were killed. Survival aspects: The accident was survivable. The first door was opened about 23 min after all engines had been shutdown. The first rescue attempt was conducted at L-1 door. Most witness statements agree in content but differ slightly in the time factor element. A witness who participated in the first two efforts to open the doors stated that he was aboard fire truck n°4 was it was positioned near the left rear portion of the aircraft. He observed thick white smoke flowing from the bottom rear fuselage. At that time the aircraft engines were still running. A few seconds later, he observed smoke near the top of the fuselage, forward of the n°2 engine inlet. According to him, this smoke was followed almost immediately by flames in the same area. As the driver of n°4 started applying agent via the monitor, the witness dismounted and moved toward exit L-1. His route was outboard of n°1 engine which he thought was still running. On approaching L-1, he observed the fire chief and other people attempting to reach the L-1 emergency handle via a ladder which was placed on top of fire truck n°6. While fire personnel steadied the ladder, he climbed up and pulled the emergency handle. He was not certain if the door moved or not. An additional effort was attempted while he held onto and rode the monitor. While on the monitor, he pushed on the door to no avail. Most of :he group then moved to R-2 where another ladder had been positioned by other firemen. A firemen then climbed the ladder, operated the handle and the door opened in the emergency mode. The cabin was observed to be full of smoke and no life was observed nor were any human sounds heard. R-2 door was opened at 1905, 26 min after the aircraft came to a stop and 23 min after the shutdown of all engines. Shortly after (about 3 min) R-2 was opened, flames were seen progressing forward from the rear section of the cabin.

Boeing 707

The aircraft sustained substantial damages and was later withdrawn from use following a heavy landing at Jeddah Airport. There were no injuries.

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Suffered a landing accident at Tabuk Airport. There were no casualties.

Convair CV-340

The aircraft was completing a flight from Najran to Aden with intermediate stops in Sana'a and Ta'izz. On approach to Sana'a Airport, the crew encountered technical problems and the captain decided to attempt an emergency landing on a road located few km from the airport. All occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Convair CV-340

After takeoff from Jeddah-King Abdulaziz Airport, while climbing, the crew reported technical problems and was cleared to return for an emergency landing. On final, the copilot extended flaps to an angle of 17° and the landing was properly completed on runway 33L. Nevertheless, after touchdown, the airplane veered off runway to the left and while contacting rocky ground, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest. All 15 occupants evacuated safely while the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

Convair CV-340

While approaching Dhahran Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with sandstorm. Unable to locate the runway, the pilot initiated a go-around and followed a holding pattern. A second attempt to land was made few minutes later but again, the crew was forced to make a go-around due to poor visibility. During the third approach, the aircraft was too low and struck a sand dune located 5 km short of runway and crashed. All 11 occupants were killed.

Douglas DC-3

While en route from Najran to Jeddah, the pilot lost control of the airplane that crashed in a desert area located near Khamis Mushait. A passenger was seriously injured while 16 other occupants were killed.

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

On final approach to Jeddah-King Abdulazziz Airport, the twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances few km short of runway. All 18 occupants were killed.

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

The crew was completing a training flight out from Jeddah when control was lost and the airplane crashed into the Red Sea about 100 km south of Jeddah. Both pilots were killed.

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

The Saudia DC-4 plane took off from Jeddah for a flight to Riyadh. Immediately following lift-off, the aircraft climbed at an abnormal high rate. The flight crew were not able to push the control column forward, so full forward trim and a power reduction were used to avert a stall. The aircraft stalled however and descended at almost a 90° angle. Power was reapplied and the controls were pulled back, effecting a recovery at a very low altitude. The DC-4 then began to climb again, approaching another stall. This time the stall was averted by reducing power and a left turn. A return to the runway was impossible so a forced belly landing was carried out near the airport. The airplane was damaged beyond repair while all 72 occupants were evacuated safely.

Bristol 170 Freighter

Upon landing, an undercarriage collapsed. The airplane skidded for several yards and came to a halt. There were no casualties but the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

Bristol 170 Freighter

After touchdown at Tarif Airport, the airplane encountered difficulties to stop within the remaining distance, overran and came to rest. There were no injuries but the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

Douglas DC-3

Crashed while taking off from Najran Airport. No casualties.