As it climbed through 29,000 ft, one of its main wheel tires failed, exploding and creating a hole in the fuselage and cabin floor.

The flight crew manually deployed the oxygen masks, and Captain Zaghaba took control.

An emergency descent was initiated, followed by a decision to divert to Qatar's Doha International Airport.

He elected to land with the flaps retracted, and jettisoned 16 tons of fuel to reduce the aircraft's weight.

The probable cause of the accident was determined to be a fatigue failure of a flange on the hub of one of the main landing gear wheels.

B.F. Goodrich Co. and Lockheed were found to share responsibility for their failure to assess the safety risks associated with this particular wheel design.

In addition, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was found to have had inadequate oversight of the manufacturers.