Boeing 747 incident near Lahore, Pk, May 5, 2011
On May 5, 2011 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Boeing 747, registered HZAIR, was involved in an incident near Lahore (Lahore International airport). It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. No one was hurt; 18 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2011 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Lahore, Pakistan · Lahore International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 18 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747 300 · all 747s on the register
- Registration
- HZAIR · no longer on the register · serial 23269
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On May 5, 2011, at 16:20 UTC, a Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747-300 airplane, registration HZ-AIR, that was equipped with Rolls-Royce RB211-524 engines, had the No. 4 engine make an uncommanded increase to full power as the crew started to advance the throttles to taxi for takeoff at Allama Iqbal International Airport (LHE), Lahore, Pakistan. The flight crew shut down the engine by placing the No. 4 engine's fuel switch to cut off. The airplane returned to the ramp without further incident The investigation is being conducted by the General Authority of Civil Aviation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The NTSB has appointed an Accredited Representative to assist with the investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13 as the State of Manufacture and Design of the airplane. All requests for information should be directed to: General Authority of Civil Aviation Safety Department P.O. Box 887, Jeddah, 21421 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Phone: +966-2-685-5509
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211-524 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Saudi Arabian Airlines CORP
The flight
- Departed from: LHE Lahore
- Destination: RUH Riyadh
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 15 | |||
| Flight crew | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.