What: Royal Saudi Air Force Eurocopter AS532M Cougar en route to Hawtah Bani Tamim
Where: 22 miles south of Riyadh
When: Jan 7 2011
Who: 4 passengers, 4 fatalities
Why: While en route to pick up a patient in Hawtah Bani Tamim, the medical evacuation helicopter crashed.
Fatalities included pilot Capt. Khaled Al-Dakhil,First Lt. Mandeel Al-Subaihi, Egyptian doctor Amjad Al-Iraqi and the Filipino nurse
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Contact photographer Tomasz Zylowski
What: BMI Airbus A330-200 en route from Jeddah to Riyadh
Where: Riyadh
When: Sep 13th 201
Who: 84 passengers
Why: On approach to Riyadh, the plane suffered a bird strike which damaged the nose of the plane. The pilot managed a safe landing, but subsequently, the vehicle was consigned to maintenance for repairs.
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Contact photographer RalfB
What: Lufthansa Cargo MD-11 freighter
Where: King Khaled International Airport, Riyadh
When: July 27 2010
Who: piloted by 2 German crewmembers
Why: Observers report seeing smoke coming from the plane as it approached the runway. On landing, the plane burst into flames in the mid-section where the hull broke. The plane split in two and collapsed.
The pilot and copilot have been hospitalized. No deaths are reported, but the plane is a total loss. It was carrying 80 tons of freight.
The Lufthansa press release on the crash is titled “Lufthansa Cargo plane crash in Riyadh, 27 Jul 2010.”
“According to the latest reports, a Lufthansa Cargo MD-11 freighter crashed this morning at 11.38 a.m. (local time) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The aircraft, coded Flight LH 8460, was on a flight to Riyadh from Frankfurt, Germany. The plane was piloted by a two-man crew, according to initial reports. Both pilots are being treated in hospital. On board Flight LH 8460 were 80 tonnes of freight. It is not yet known exactly what type of freight it was or which customers are affected. The cause of the accident is still being investigated. At the moment, we have no further details. We will communicate any further information immediately. Updates are also available at www.lufthansa-cargo.com.
The next press release will be published at 2 p.m. CET.”
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Contact photographer TK
What: Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 777-200 en route from Dammam to Kochi
Where: Muscat
When: Jun 7th 2010
Why: After developing instrument problems while en route, the crew turned around and returned to Dammam where they made a safe landing two hours into the flight. The plane underwent repairs before resuming the flight.
