Riyadh weather leads to near disaster
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Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: In the USA of course
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Riyadh weather leads to near disaster
Amazing weather in Riyadh in the last few days - some huge thunderstorms that caused chaos on the ramp - one storm that came through was as bad as it gets - two BBJ's on the private ramp jumped their chocks, the one was pushed through 270 degrees but didn't hit anything. The other also avoided damage. Not so lucky was an A320 that was hit or hit some ground equipment and had the pressure hull punctured and the wing root gouged. A Citation X ended up sitting on it's tail with serious damage to the gear. On the commercial side a 747 from Saudia got whacked by an air-bridge & sustained considerable damage. The aircraft & ramp looked like they'd been sprayed with high-pressure mud.
Today one of those BBJ's was departing Riyadh on a long-haul flight - to all accounts they'd cleaned all the crud that was blown into the engines & packs - things started to wrong around rotate and by 150' they lost thrust on both engines. Got it back on the ground by which time they'd lost both engines, no thrust reversers & stopped it before the end. Word has it that both donkeys are toast - locked solid with the insides full of melted sand. And the drivers were pretty shook up.
The other runway was closed for maintenance - need I describe the issues as the BBJ blocked the runway for a good few hours?
Be careful out there.
Today one of those BBJ's was departing Riyadh on a long-haul flight - to all accounts they'd cleaned all the crud that was blown into the engines & packs - things started to wrong around rotate and by 150' they lost thrust on both engines. Got it back on the ground by which time they'd lost both engines, no thrust reversers & stopped it before the end. Word has it that both donkeys are toast - locked solid with the insides full of melted sand. And the drivers were pretty shook up.
The other runway was closed for maintenance - need I describe the issues as the BBJ blocked the runway for a good few hours?
Be careful out there.
Join Date: Apr 2002
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Speaking as a "European", well, thank god it was sand and not volcanic ash. 
Sounds a bit sphincter tightening
, I guess words were "exchanged" with whoever claimed credit for cleaning it all out before they left.
Sounds a bit sphincter tightening
, I guess words were "exchanged" with whoever claimed credit for cleaning it all out before they left.
Join Date: Mar 2006
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weather in Riyadh
We lost one of our engine covers in a storm like that, it is still somewhere out in the middle of the tussock on the airfield. Yea those storms can be pretty intense. Glad those drivers got it back on the runway, anything else and it would have been another you tube horror.
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Considering that the situation was that bad (on the radio they sounded worried), it is nothing short of a miracle that they made it back on the ground safely. Particularly without much support from ATC...
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Particularly without much support from ATC... Yesterday 12:03
Well not unless you consider silence or "standby!!" support.
Good to hear they got it back on deck safely.
Particularly without much support from ATC...
Good to hear they got it back on deck safely.
