ADC Airlines Boeing 737-2B7 plane crash

The plane, a Boeing 737 operated by the private Nigerian airline ADC (Aviation Development Company), was on a passenger flight from Lagos (Nigeria) to Sokoto (north-west Nigeria), via Abuja. After a short stop in Abuja (at Nnamdi Azikiwe airport), the plane took off again, heading to Sokoto with 99 passengers and 6 crewmembers. But 30 seconds after take-off, the plane began to lose altitude, crashed and burst into flames.

The wreckage was found 2 kilometres far from the airport. Only the plane's tail, an engine and part of a wing were still recognisable at the crash site, which was littered with smouldering fires, boxes and bags. 9 people survived the accident, and 96 were killed. A farmer working on the field was killed after being struck by debris from the crash.

The pilot had ignored a bad weather warning from the air traffic control tower, and decided to take-off anyway. Following the accident, the Nigeria Authorities have grounded the entire fleet of the airline.

The investigation shows that the aircraft encountered a windshear (sudden variation of the wind direction). This phenomenon is feared by the pilots, but is generally foreseeable. It results in a rapid loss of altitude, and requires a prompt and specific reaction of the crew to overcome the situation.