WHALE 05 was scheduled for take off from Jeddah at 17:24 local time and climbed to 25,000 feet (7,600 m) to perform an aerial refueling. Another Boeing KC-135 took off at around the same time and was supposed to fly the same route. The co-pilot of the second aircraft, ascended to the planned altitude of 25,000 feet (7,600 m). After reaching the target altitude, autopilot was engaged, and the aircraft was about one nautical mile behind the other KC-135.[3]:1
Approximately 45 minutes after takeoff, WHALE 05 encountered forward wake turbulence and suddenly banked more than 110 degrees to the left, and within a few seconds it banked more than 110 degrees to the right.[citation needed] The captain activated the speed brakes and restored the aircraft to a near horizontal position. During the sequence of events, the first and second left wing engines detached from the aircraft.[4][5] After recovery, fire alarms on the two left side engines activated. The captain ordered the boom operator to look at the engines, who reported that there was no fire but that the engines were physically gone.[6] As the aircraft had only been airborne for a short time, it still held almost 31,000 gallons of fuel.[7][8] In addition, the hydraulic reception, fuel pumps, and landing gear were damaged when the engines detached, and fuel was spilling from the left wing.[9][3]:1[2]:106
The aircraft involved, seen here after the emergency landing
To maintain altitude and the speed of fuel discharge, the captain declared "Mayday" and decided to return to Jeddah. The aircraft returned to level flight at 16,000 feet (4,900 m). The pilot soon arrived at Prince Abdullah Air Base an hour and fifteen minutes later. Since the hydraulic system had been damaged, the landing gear was deployed manually. The pilots requested to land on runway 34L because it was the longest runway and had an instrument landing system (ILS) approach.[citation needed] During the landing, the pilot deployed a third engine thrust reverser, but immediately discontinued its use due to difficulty in directional control. Although several tires were damaged, the aircraft landed and came to a stop at about 300 m (1,000 ft) from the end of the runway.[10][3]:1
At first, speculation was that—since it was a tanker plane in the Gulf War—the failure was intentional, although that was dismissed when the engines were recovered. The plane's thrust reversers were engaged, so it was thought that this is what caused the engines to detach. The plane had turned 110 degrees to the right and then to the left very quickly, it was discovered that another KC-135 was a few miles away, which led to the discovery that it was a powerful wake turbulence producing heavy G forces that caused the accident, although he did not regret not taking one more turn, since this could have caused the two right engines to also come off.[citation needed]
The second plane, taking off before the first, had changed the designated order. The wake turbulence of the second plane when passing it caused the G forces to move the plane with oscillation, making it stable again thanks to the coordination of the team and the skill of the captain. The pilots and crew were credited for knowing what to do in the situation.[citation needed] The Boeing KC-135 was later repaired and returned to military service, being able to fly for another thirteen years. It is currently stored at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group.
Dramatization
The accident was featured in the seventh episode of the twenty-first season of the Canadian show Mayday: Air Disasters, titled "Mission Disaster."[citation needed]
China Airlines Flight 358 – On 29 December 1991, this Boeing 747 experienced a dual engine separation, killing all five crew members, in the same year of this accident.
El Al Flight 1862 – On 4 October 1992, 47 people were killed when the flight suffered a duel engine separation, leading to a loss of control and accident, killing all 4 crew and 43 people on the ground.
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