Lockheed L-1011 TriStar crash, Aug 19, 1980 (301 killed)
Lockheed L-1011 TriStar accident on August 19, 1980 near Riyadh-King Khaled, Manţiqat ar Riyāḍ, Saudi Arabia with 301 fatalities. Cause: Fire of...
- Date: August 19, 1980
- Aircraft: Lockheed L-1011 TriStar
- Location: Riyadh-King Khaled, Manţiqat ar Riyāḍ, Saudi Arabia
- Fatalities: 301
- Phase of flight: Approach and landing
- Cause: Fire of undetermined origin in the aft cargo compartment C-3. The failure to order a prompt evacuation after landing was a major factor in the fatalities.
On 19 August 1980 Saudia Flight 163, a Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar (HZ-AHK) flying Karachi to Riyadh to Jeddah, returned to Riyadh after smoke appeared in the aft cargo compartment. The aircraft landed and stopped on a taxiway, where it was destroyed by fire. All 301 people on board, 14 crew and 287 passengers, died, mostly because no timely evacuation was ordered.