Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740

Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740 was a Hajj pilgrimage flight from Kano, Nigeria to Karachi, Pakistan with an intermediate stopover in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Operated by Pakistan International Airlines, on 26 November 1979, the Boeing 707-340C serving the route crashed shortly after takeoff from Jeddah International Airport. All 156 people on board were killed.

PIA Flight 740
The aircraft involved in the accident seen on 1 March 1972, while still operating for British Caledonian Airways Limited.
Accident
Date26 November 1979 (1979-11-26)
SummaryIn-flight fire (source of fire's ignition undetermined)
SiteJeddah, Saudi Arabia
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 707-340C
OperatorPakistan International Airlines
IATA flight No.PK740
ICAO flight No.PIA740
Call signPAKISTAN 740
RegistrationAP-AWZ
Flight originMallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, Nigeria
StopoverKing Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
DestinationJinnah International Airport, Karachi, Pakistan
Occupants156
Passengers145
Crew11
Fatalities156
Survivors0

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a nine-year-old Boeing 707-340C with serial number 20275 and serial 844. It was built in 1970 and on July 30 made its first flight. Ten days later, on 10 August, it was delivered to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and was registered as AP-AWB. It was re-registered as AP-AWZ in 1972 after being leased for several months to another airline. The aircraft had 30,710 flight hours at the time of the crash.[1][2]

Crash

The airliner operated as flight 740 from Jeddah to Karachi, during which it carried pilgrims returning from the Hajj. There were a total of 156 people on board, 11 crew members and 145 passengers. At 01:29, flight 740 departed from Jeddah and began to climb to the planned level of 37,000 feet (11,000 metres). The first warning of an emergency came at 01:47, 21 minutes after takeoff, the flight attendant informed the pilots that a fire had started in the back door. After reporting to the dispatcher about the situation on board and the beginning of the emergency descent from the echelon of 30,000 feet (9,100 metres), the crew received permission to descend to a height of 4,000 feet (1,200 metres). The pilot radioed a request to return to Jeddah because smoke was coming into the cabin and cockpit. At 02:03 the crew sent a distress signal. The Jeddah control tower heard the pilot shout "Mayday! Mayday!" before the radio went silent.[3] After about a minute, the aircraft crashed into rocks and exploded. The crash site was at an altitude of 3,000 feet (910 metres). All 156 people on board died. The accident remains, to date, the third-deadliest plane crash on Saudi Arabian soil and the third-deadliest crash involving a Boeing 707.[2]

Cause

The cause of the catastrophe was determined to be a fire that started in the rear of the cabin. The fire spread quickly, causing passengers to panic and run towards the front to escape the smoke. This disrupted the alignment of the aircraft which, in combination with the strong smoke, incapacitated the flight crew and lead to loss of control of the aircraft. The exact cause of the fire has not been determined. The most likely version is that there was a leak of gasoline or kerosene from one of the stoves, which the pilgrims took with them. Since the ascent pressure in the cabin becomes somewhat lower, a leaky gasket could lead to fuel leakage. There was a malfunction in the electrical circuits, but the rapid spread of fire in this case was difficult to explain due to the nature of the design of the aircraft’s electrical systems and protection devices. The chance of the crash being a terrorist attack was not confirmed, as there was no evidence that incendiary devices were used.[2]

See also

References
  1. "AP-AWZ Registration Details". All Pakistan Aircraft Registration Marks. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  2. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 707-340C AP-AWZ Taif". Aviation Safety Network. ASN. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  3. "NO SURVIVORS FOUND IN PAKISTANI PLANE: Most Victims in Saudi Air Disaster Were Returning from Mecca". A11, Page 11, Column 1: The New York Times. 27 November 1979. Retrieved 2 June 2016.CS1 maint: location (link)

Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network

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