Saudia Flight 163
August 19, 1980 — Saudia Flight 163 took off from Riyadh bound for Jeddah. Just minutes into the flight, smoke alarms triggered. A fire had started in the cargo hold of the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar.
The crew turned back, declared an emergency, and landed. It was textbook. The jet rolled to a stop on the runway.
But no evacuation order came.
Instead, the engines were shut down. Ground crews waited. And inside the sealed cabin, deadly smoke spread fast. All 301 people onboard — passengers and crew — died of toxic fumes before rescue teams even opened the doors.
They were so close to safety. And yet, too late.
Flight 163 remains one of the most haunting failures in aviation history — not because the plane crashed, but because no one got out.
The aftermath changed everything: faster evacuation protocols, mandatory fire suppression improvements, and stricter crew training.
Surviving the landing isn’t enough. You have to get out.
