Fatal Fire

FATAL FIRE ON SAUDIA FLIGHT 163

Learned something today. Saudia Flight 163 was started by The fire started while passengers onboard were cooking with a portable butane stove. Apparently, this was not unusual, as Middle Eastern airlines are often willing to accommodate their Muslim passengers’ needs to follow the strict dietary laws of their religion. The pilot was able to land the plane back at Riyadh safely and headed to the end of the runway where a rescue crew was waiting.

When the plane reached the end of the runway, however, it burst into flames. The crew sprayed fire-fighting foam at the fire, but it was no match for the intense blaze. None of the 301 people onboard escaped the fire. It is still unclear why there were no survivors. Bodies were found piled up near the escape hatches. One theory is that panic on the plane caused a stampede that prevented the hatches from being opened. Another possibility is that the crew failed to depressurize the cabin, which would have prevented the hatches from opening. It is also possible that everyone on the flight was overcome by fumes before they could save themselves. The only reasonable way to prevent such a tragedy from occurring in the future is that Saudia assure passengers that the dietary requirements of their religion (Islam) will be provided by the airline and all cooking devices be prohibited from being taken aboard the aircraft.