fascinatinghorror

Saudia Flight 163

Added 2023-01-10 11:15:01 +0000 UTC

Here are some extra notes on things that I discovered while researching, but simply couldn't fit in to the video.

The hot beverage rumour

For quite some time it was thought that the source of ignition had been a passenger attempting to use a camping stove to prepare a hot drink at their seat.

That might sound strange, but some passengers in the past had indeed brought stoves aboard Saudia flights, as it was their first ever flight and they did not realise that they would be fed during the journey.

This coupled with the butane stoves found in the wreckage lead to this being posited as a source of ignition... but it was later concluded that the fire started in the cargo hold. Nevertheless, you'll still sometimes come across an article that blames a passenger using a stove.

The full CVR transcripts

Here's a link the accident report, which contains a complete Cockpit Voice Recorder transcript. It's well worth a read just to appreciate the sheer amount of confusion and wasted time in the cockpit.

You'll also come across sections like this from very late on in the emergency, which almost defies belief:

Flight Engineer: There's fire?

Attendant: Yeah.

Flight Engineer: Well go put it out.

At this stage the Flight Engineer had already been back to look for signs of fire, and surely would have known that if the attendants could put it out, they would. Perhaps, in a desperate situation, he was simply grasping at straws.