298:
feet (11,000 metres). The first warning of an emergency came at 01:47, 21 minutes after takeoff, when a flight attendant informed the pilots that a fire had started in the rear of the cabin. After reporting to air traffic control (ATC) about the situation on board and beginning an emergency descent from its current altitude 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. Approximately one minute after this transmission, the aircraft crashed into an area of rocks located 48 kilometres (30 miles; 26 nautical miles) north of the city of
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stoves. The fuel leakage may have been a result of the decrease in cabin pressure. A malfunction in the electrical circuits was also considered as an ignition source, but could not be confirmed because of the design of the aircraft's electrical systems and protection devices. Terrorism was ruled out as a cause, as there was no evidence that incendiary devices were used.
297:
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 flight level (FL) of 37,000
311:
The cause of the accident was an in-flight fire in the cabin area, which, through its intensity and rapid extension, eventually incapacitated the flight crew. The cause of the cabin fire was not determined. The most likely version is that there was a gas leak or kerosene from one of the pilgrims'
302:
and 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 Boeing 707 crash.
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334:, another accident due to on-board fire also held in Saudi Arabia. The plane managed to land, but a flashover fire and failure during evacuation resulting the death of all 301 people onboard.
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as AP-AWB. It was re-registered as AP-AWZ in 1972 after being leased for several months to another airline. The aircraft logged 30,710 airframe hours at the time of the accident.
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serving the route crashed shortly after takeoff from Jeddah
International Airport. All 156 people on board were killed.
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on July 30. Ten days later, on 10 August, it was delivered to
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and was
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The aircraft involved in the accident seen on 1 March 1972, while still leased to
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413:. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters. 27 November 1979. p. 11.
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The aircraft involved was a nine-year-old Boeing 707-340C with
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List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
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20275 and line number 844. It was manufactured in 1970 and
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Airliner accidents and incidents caused by in-flight fires
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381:"ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 707-340C AP-AWZ Taif"
1082:Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740 (1979)
916:
1339:Aviation accidents and incidents in Saudi Arabia
1334:Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 707
1315:
823:Aviation accidents and incidents in Saudi Arabia
33:AP-AUP, the aircraft similar to the one involved
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808:
465:
909:
895:
842:Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740
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736:Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740
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355:. All Pakistan Aircraft Registration Marks
220:Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740
27:
22:Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740
1344:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1979
285:
1178:Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Hajj
407:"NO SURVIVORS FOUND IN PAKISTANI PLANE"
149:Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport
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1122:1695 Capture of the Grand Mughal Fleet
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796:
453:
374:
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1097:Turkish Airlines Flight 5904 (1999)
13:
1092:Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 (1991)
666:Dniprodzerzhynsk mid-air collision
399:
378:
367:
14:
1380:
686:Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 12
436:
242:with an intermediate stopover in
1301:
1289:
1277:
1265:
950:Crushes and crowd-related issues
482:Aviation accidents and incidents
834:Middle East Airlines Flight 438
252:Pakistan International Airlines
105:Pakistan International Airlines
1369:1979 disasters in Saudi Arabia
556:Interflug Ilyushin Il-18 crash
345:
1:
918:Incidents related to the Hajj
766:Turkish Airlines Ankara crash
353:"AP-AWZ Registration Details"
338:
1349:November 1979 events in Asia
1077:LoftleiĂ°ir Flight 001 (1978)
726:American Airlines Flight 444
706:Western Airlines Flight 2605
626:American Airlines Flight 293
596:American Airlines Flight 191
171:Jinnah International Airport
7:
1072:Martinair Flight 138 (1974)
874:Lufthansa Cargo Flight 8460
866:Nigeria Airways Flight 2120
606:Downeast Airlines Flight 46
526:Air New Zealand Flight 4374
315:
281:
261:
254:, on 26 November 1979, the
10:
1385:
1364:1979 disasters in Pakistan
1163:1863–1875 cholera pandemic
1158:1817–1824 cholera pandemic
746:Air New Zealand Flight 901
646:Lufthansa Cargo Flight 527
616:Air New England Flight 248
387:. Flight Safety Foundation
292:British Caledonian Airways
47:26 November 1979
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958:1990 Mecca tunnel tragedy
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1173:MERS-related coronavirus
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858:Iraqi Airways Flight 163
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636:Garuda Fokker F28 crash
516:Air Rhodesia Flight 827
446:Aviation Safety Network
385:Aviation Safety Network
226:pilgrimage flight from
1067:Royal Jordanian (1973)
294:
162:, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
16:1979 aviation accident
1016:Protests and violence
289:
1354:1979 in Saudi Arabia
1235:Stoning of the Devil
1196:2006 hostel collapse
1044:1926 mahmal incident
716:Manises UFO incident
676:Aeroflot Flight 5484
566:Quebecair Flight 255
546:Aeroflot Flight 1691
442:Accident description
1201:2015 crane collapse
784:► 1980
778:1978 ◄
696:Swissair Flight 316
656:Dan-Air Flight 0034
173:, Karachi, Pakistan
23:
1219:2024 Hajj disaster
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411:The New York Times
295:
91:Aircraft type
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1039:1757 caravan raid
1034:930 sack of Mecca
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850:Saudia Flight 163
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332:Saudia Flight 163
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65:of unknown origin
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256:Boeing 707-340C
160:Kandara Airport
151:, Kano, Nigeria
119:ICAO flight No.
111:IATA flight No.
95:Boeing 707-340C
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836:(January 1976)
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79:Mecca Province
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63:In-flight fire
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988:2015 stampede
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983:2006 stampede
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978:2004 stampede
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973:2001 stampede
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968:1998 stampede
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963:1994 stampede
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852:(August 1980)
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268:serial number
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1296:Saudi Arabia
1188:Construction
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1117:ship sinking
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939:Saudi Arabia
841:
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422:. Retrieved
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389:. Retrieved
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357:. Retrieved
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310:
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248:Saudi Arabia
219:
218:
136:Registration
130:Pakistan 740
18:
1245:MosqueMeToo
1129:SS Sardinia
876:(July 2010)
868:(July 1991)
359:16 November
167:Destination
1318:Categories
1168:Hajj cough
339:References
276:registered
272:first flew
202:Fatalities
186:Passengers
51:1979-11-26
1024:692 siege
1006:1997 fire
419:0362-4331
210:Survivors
178:Occupants
127:Call sign
1284:Pakistan
1272:Aviation
316:See also
282:Accident
262:Aircraft
240:Pakistan
156:Stopover
101:Operator
86:Aircraft
39:Accident
1258:Portals
1228:Related
1150:Disease
1138:SS Asia
486: (
484:in 1979
444:at the
236:Karachi
232:Nigeria
59:Summary
49: (
762:Dec 23
752:Dec 18
742:Nov 28
732:Nov 26
722:Nov 15
712:Nov 11
702:Oct 31
682:Sep 14
672:Aug 29
662:Aug 11
652:Jul 31
642:Jul 26
632:Jul 11
622:Jun 20
612:Jun 17
602:May 30
592:May 25
582:Apr 23
562:Mar 29
552:Mar 26
542:Mar 17
532:Mar 14
522:Feb 17
512:Feb 12
502:Jan 30
424:2 June
417:
391:2 June
244:Jeddah
222:was a
140:AP-AWZ
122:PIA740
1136:1930
1127:1908
1113:1502
998:Fires
935:Mecca
692:Oct 7
572:Apr 4
307:Cause
114:PK740
73:Near
1211:Heat
1140:fire
1131:fire
1115:Miri
1106:Ship
930:Hajj
488:1979
426:2016
415:ISSN
393:2016
361:2013
300:Taif
228:Kano
224:Hajj
194:Crew
75:Taif
70:Site
44:Date
234:to
205:156
189:145
181:156
1320::
937:,
409:.
383:.
369:^
246:,
238:,
230:,
197:11
77:,
1260::
910:e
903:t
896:v
816:e
809:t
802:v
490:)
473:e
466:t
459:v
428:.
395:.
363:.
213:0
53:)
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