Incident Overview
A Saudia Douglas DC-4 aircraft initiated its takeoff from Jeddah for a scheduled flight to Riyadh. Immediately after lift-off, the aircraft exhibited an abnormally high rate of climb. The flight crew found themselves unable to push the control column forward. To prevent a stall, they applied full forward trim and reduced power. Despite these efforts, the aircraft stalled and descended at nearly a 90-degree angle.
Recovery and Second Stall
The crew then reapplied power and pulled back on the controls, managing to recover from the stall at a very low altitude. The DC-4 began to climb again but approached another stall. This time, the stall was averted by reducing power and executing a left turn. A return to the runway was not possible, so the crew executed a forced belly landing near the airport.
Outcome
The aircraft sustained damage beyond repair. All 72 occupants on board were evacuated safely.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the flight mechanic failed to place the gust lock in the fully secured position to unlock the controls prior to takeoff. Additionally, the spring holding the fairing on the tail skid was incorrectly attached to the elevator control lock mechanism. The spring tension caused the elevator gust lock to lock the elevator from down travel when the gust lock was not in the fully secured control unlock position. A contributing factor was that neither the captain nor the flight mechanic checked visually or manually to see that the gust lock was in the secured position to unlock the control prior to takeoff.