2002 aviation accident
EAS Airlines Flight 4226 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Kano to Lagos, Nigeria. On 4 May 2002, the aircraft serving the route, a BAC One-Eleven 525FT with 69 passengers and 8 crew members on board, crashed into Gwammaja Quarters, a densely-populated residential area located approximately from the airport, and burst into flames, resulting in the deaths of 66 passengers and 7 crew. In addition, at least 30 civilians on the ground were killed. With a total of 103 fatalities, Flight 4226 is the deadliest aviation accident involving a BAC One-Eleven.
The Nigerian Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau attributed the disaster to pilot error. The aircraft overran the runway and rolled for a few hundred meters. Dust kicked up by the plane's wheels was ingested by the engines, limiting their ability to deliver power. The extended landing gear further aggravated the condition, and the aircraft eventually crashed due to the compromised airspeed. Due to the absence of usable flight recorders, the reasons for the crew to accidentally overrun the runway could not be determined.
Aircraft.
The aircraft involved in the crash was a BAC One-Eleven 525FT with a registration 5N-ESF. The aircraft was manufactured in 1980 and was first delivered to TAROM with a Romanian registration of YR-BCN. It was later acquired by Inex-Adria Aviopromet and Ryanair through lease before it was returned to TAROM in 1989. In July 2001, the aircraft was acquired by EAS Airlines and entered the fleet in August. By the time of the crash, the aircraft had accumulated a total of 24,644 flight hours.
Two Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines powered the aircraft. The left engine was installed in 2000 while the right engine was installed recently on May 2, transferred from the aircraft's sister ship 5N-ESD. The last major maintenance check was conducted in January 2001.
Passengers and crews.
Flight 4226 was carrying 69 passengers and 8 crew members, contrary to initial reports which claimed that the aircraft was carrying 105 passengers. Most of the passengers were Nigerian, with one Lebanese and at least one British passenger on board. Nigeria's "Daily Trust" reported that three French nationals were among those on board. A total of 23 passengers boarded the aircraft in Kano for Lagos, while 47 Lagos-bound passengers had boarded the aircraft in Jos, the aircraft's previous destination.
Among the passengers was Nigeria's Sport Minister Ishaya Mark Aku. He was on his way to attend the 2002 FIFA World Cup warm-up match between Nigeria and Kenya. Julie Useni and Danjuma Useni, the wife and son of former Minister of Federal Capital Territory Jeremiah Useni, were also onboard.
The commander of the flight was 49-year-old Captain Peter Abayomi Inneh with a flight hours of more than 14,000 hours, of which 7,000 hours were on the type. He joined EAS Airlines in 2000 and had been flying the BAC One-Eleven ever since. The co-pilot was 47-year-old First Officer Chris Adewole Adegboye. He had accrued a total of more than 8,000 flight hours, of which 3,350 hours were on the type. The flight engineers were Emmanuel Idoko and Muhammad Sarki.
Accident.
Flight 4226 was a flight from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in the north of the country to Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport in the southwest. Before the flight to Lagos, the aircraft had flown to Jos in nearby Plateau State. When it arrived in Kano, a total of 36 disembarked in Kano and 47 people boarded the aircraft. The flight was expected to take-off at around 13:30 p.m with Captain Peter Inneh and First Officer Chris Adegboye as the pilots. The aircraft was carrying 69 passengers and 8 crew members.
The crew requested start-up clearance at 13:19 p.m and the aircraft started to move towards the taxiway. At 12:26 p.m, the aircraft was lined-up with the runway. Captain Peter jokingly stated: "FL280 () for EXW4226, ready for space travel" and the ATC cleared them for take-off from Kano's Runway 23 and gave the crew a brief information regarding the temperature and the weather ahead. After the ATC had completed the report, the crew commenced the take-off roll.
Crash.
During the roll, the controller at the tower noticed that the aircraft was moving sluggishly, pacing much slower than usual. When it passed through the runway threshold, the nose had been in upward position, but the landing gears still had not lifted off the ground. The aircraft ended up overrunning the runway end and struck two runway lights. As it overran the runway, burst of dust could be seen from the control tower. It then lifted off outside the runway, but before it could fully lift off the ground the landing gears struck a ground depression, causing a violent impact that rattled the entire aircraft. The impact caused some parts of the ceilings to come down onto the floor. Following the impact, the aircraft was covered in massive burst of dust.
Even though the aircraft had successfully taken off from the runway, its airspeed began to drop and the crew was faced with an impending stall condition. Flight 4226 then began to swerve from side to side. Captain Peter reported to the control tower that he was having an engine failure. He could be heard saying "My take-off is difficult, I heard a sound on my right engine. The aircraft is wobbling. I think I'm in a difficult situation." The crew tried to avoid stalling the aircraft and decided to lower the nose, but their altitude was too low with houses could be seen from the cabin 'just mere meters from the aircraft'. Passengers inside the aircraft were panicking and screaming.
People on the ground who witnessed the aircraft coming towards them then scrambled to safety. The aircraft could not gain more altitude and failed to avoid obstacles. It then clipped a minaret of a mosque and then struck numerous houses and a local Islamic school on the ground. The aircraft then flew onto another mosque at full-force and burst into flames. Praying services were held at the local mosques and at least 100 students were in the school complex at the time of the crash. Many buildings collapsed, including the school and mosque.
Immediate aftermath.
Dozens of students, worshippers and local residents were trapped inside the rubble. Eyewitnesses stated that people on the ground began to wail and scream, rushing to the crash site to search for their relatives trapped inside the rubble. According to eyewitness, they heard several calls for help from inside the aircraft. Meanwhile, flames began to quickly spread across the neighborhood. Firefighters reached the crash site within 10 minutes after the accident, but due to the large amount of onlookers and volunteers they couldn't swiftly conduct the rescue operation. The absence of water sources at the crash site and the hostile behaviour from the crowd towards the crew further worsened the situation. They rapidly ran out of water and foam and had to return to the airport to refill their supplies. Eventually, some of the victims who were trapped couldn't be saved from the blaze. The fire quickly spread, burning the trapped victims.
Three survivors were evacuated from the crash site and were immediately transported to the nearby hospitals in serious condition. The Lebanese passenger immediately got out of the aircraft's exit door and met with another survivor, who was found lying under a shed. The Lebanese was relatively unharmed, while the other survivor was seriously injured. They both managed to climb up the ruins of a house where they were located at and decided to jump to the roof of a house next door. Both were later taken to a nearby hospital by two local residents.
Due to the chaotic situation, soldiers and police officers were deployed to the area. Authorities stated that the local mortuaries had been filled to capacity due to the numbers of the dead and as a result corpses were piled on the floor. Some of the bodies were transported to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. Off-duty emergency workers were called to work in response to the crisis of the disaster.
Casualties.
In the aftermath of the crash, 103 people were killed, including 66 passengers and 7 crew members. The exact number of people who were killed on the ground could not be determined, but the death toll listed more than 30 victims. More than 10 children reportedly perished in the accident. The corpses of the victims were transported to various hospitals in Kano. The Medical Centre of Nigerian Armed Forces reported that they had received 22 bodies, while the city's Murtalla Mohammed General Hospital received 61 bodies. The other 23 were distributed throughout several private hospitals in Kano. Most of the bodies were badly charred.
One cabin crew member and 3 passengers survived the crash. There were initially five survivors but one of them eventually succumbed to their injuries. Of the 4 survivors, one survived with no injuries, one with minor injuries while the others were in serious condition. Two survivors had to be sent abroad for treatment due to the severity of their injuries, with one receiving treatment in Cologne. Majority of the survivors were seated at the aft or near the aft of the aircraft.
An additional 47 people on the ground were injured in the accident. Of the 47, a total of 24 people were badly injured and the other 23 suffered mild injuries.
Rescue workers stated that at least 30 homes had been destroyed in the crash. Nigerian Red Cross added that hundreds had been made homeless.
Response.
Due to the accident, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo cut short his visit to states in Southern Africa and immediately returned to Abuja to observe the situation. He expressed his sympathy to the victims and stated that two days of national mourning would be held in Nigeria. All Nigerian flags would be flown at half mast throughout the country. He ordered an immediate inquiry into the accident and further added that foreign experts would be invited if necessary.
The Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, along with Governor of Kano State Rabiu Kwankwaso, visited the crash site. The Emir and the Governor later expressed their sympathy to the relatives of the victims. Vice President Atiku Abubakar visited the crash site on May 4, but during his speech angry locals pelted his convoy with stones, prompting the police to fire tear gas onto the crowd. President Obasanjo also visited the crash site on May 6. His visit, however, was also met with fury as families of the victims accused him of "being insensitive". He reportedly visited the crash without prior announcement, under tight security, and avoided taking questions from the public.
President Obasanjo pledged a total of $86,000 federal funds to the victims of the crash, further stating that destroyed houses would be rebuilt. Spokesperson for Kano Government stated that the government of Kano would do "anything possible to alleviate their suffering". A relief committee consisted of 21 members was set up by Kano State. The committee would be in charge of collection and distribution of aids to the victims and would be headed by the deputy governor of Kano. Donations of up to 24 million Naira reportedly had been collected from the country.
Following the death of Ishaya Mark Aku, the Nigerian Government appointed Nigerian Minister of Police Affairs Stephen Akiga as his successor. In response to the death of Ishaya Mark Aku, Nigeria Football Association cancelled the upcoming football friendly match between Nigeria and China.
A total of 56 bodies could not be identified due to their severe condition, most were burnt beyond recognition. Kano government eventually held a mass burial for the unidentified victims. The bodies were carried by six trucks and hundreds of mourners attended the funeral service. Prior to the burial, a prayer service had been held in Gidan Rumfa, the Palace of Emir of Kano.
In response to the crash, Nigerian Minister of Aviation Kema Chikwe grounded every BAC One-Eleven in the country. She added that the Nigerian government would no longer register aircraft that had exceeded 22 years old, adding that owners would be given 5 years to phase them out. A thorough review regarding the operation of private airliners in Nigeria would be also conducted.
Investigation.
Nigerian authorities opened an investigation on the crash, with Aviation Minister Kema Chikwe instituted a panel to investigate the crash. The Nigerian federal upper legislative chambers began a public session on the same day of the crash, discussing about the crash as