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Nose gear of
AP-BBA in the air as the damaged aircraft is lifted with jacks
at Jeddah Airport, Saudi Arabia, in March of 2004, also note
marks left by nose landing gear tyres on runway. In wee hours of March
1, 2004, at night time, AP-BBA was operating post-Hajj operation
flight PK-2002 from Jeddah to Quetta with a total of 261
passengers and 12 crew members on board. The A300 began take-off
roll from Jeddah Airport at around 1:40 AM local time when at
high speed two tyres from its left main landing gear blew with a
bang due to which left main landing gear caught fire and began
to disintegrate with its fragments entering engine in-takes and
hitting wings and fuselage of the aircraft. The Jeddah Air
Traffic Controller reported fire in landing gear to pilots of
speeding AP-BBA who decided to abort take-off. The fragments
from left main landing gear caused extensive damage to engines,
wings and fuselage of the aircraft.
According to
investigations conducted by Saudi authorities, defective
retreaded tyres were the cause of this accident. In Pakistan,
cockpit crew of flight PK-2002 received safety award for
professionally handling difficult situation and for saving
precious lives of passengers and crew members of the aircraft.
AP-BBA was insured for US
Dollars 3,000,000 and was declared constructive total loss due
to nature of damage it sustained. Parting out of AP-BBA was
completed in spring of 2006 in Jeddah |
