8 aircraft accidents in Nigeria since 2000

The ATR 42-500MP operated by the Nigerian Air Force had taken off from Benin City, Nigeria, on a routine military flight to Lagos, Nigeria. There were 20 passengers and 5 crew members on board. The aircraft crashed in a swampy area near the Igbokoda Naval Base in Ondo State. All 25 occupants were killed.

The Embraer ERJ 170-100LR operated by Enugu Air was performing scheduled passenger flight from Lagos, Nigeria, to Benin City, Nigeria. There were 63 passengers and 5 crewmembers onboard. While landing on Runway 05 at Oba Akenzua II Airport in Benin City, the aircraft overran the end of the runway and continued into the unpaved area beyond it. All three landing-gear assemblies separated from the aircraft during the runway excursion. All 68 occupants evacuated without injury.

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.

The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 was on a passenger flight from Abuja to Port Harcourt with 103 passengers and 7 crew members onboard. It crashed during landing at Port Harcourt. The plane is believed to have overshot the runway when landing in an electrical storm. Witnesses said an explosion and massive fireball followed the crash, engulfing the plane in flames. Three people survived.

The flight 201 from Bellview airline was performing a passenger flight from Lagos to Abuja with 111 passengers and 6 crew members onboard when it crashed near Lagos a few minutes after take-off. The 737 left Lagos at 20:35 local time and there was thunderstorm activity in the vicinity of the city at the time, which could be the cause of the accident. The exact circumstances surrounding the crash are unclear, although local press reports quote officials as saying that communication was lost with the aircraft around 3min after take-off (possibly following a distress call) and that it crashed 7min later. The crew had asked for air traffic control assistance in avoiding storm activity. Investigations indicate that the aircraft may have “stalled” after passing FL130 (13,000ft/3,970m) and “nose-dived into the ground”. The loss of communications could have been a result of the lightning causing the aircraft’s electrical system to fail. The aircraft came down around 30km (19 miles) north of Lagos, with witnesses reporting that it was on fire before it struck the ground. The impact created a large crater around 12m deep, with little remaining of the aircraft. Another cause of the accident could be a terrorism act.

The aircraft, on a cargo flight to Lagos' Murtalah Mohammed Airport, collided with construction equipment after being cleared to land on a closed runway. A NOTAM was to inform about the runway unavailability As the aircraft was rolling out, the main landing gear impacted several construction vehicles parked on the runway and one wing was torn off. The 3 flight crewmembers escaped with minor injuries.

The aircraft departed runway 05 at Kano's Aminu Kano International Airport for a passenger flight to the southern capital city of Lagos. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft developed engine problems, and crashed into a densely populated residential area near Gwammaja district, approximately 2 kilometers from Kano's airport. At least 73 people on the ground were killed, and 75 of the 79 people onboard were killed.

The aircraft was on a cargo flight from Luxembourg to Port Harcourt. It crashed approximately 700 meters short of runway while attempting to land at Port Harcourt's Omagwa Airport. A crewmember was fatally injured in the crash.