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Nigeria Airways Flight 2120

Coordinates: 21°40′12.83″N 39°09′2.08″E / 21.6702306°N 39.1505778°E / 21.6702306; 39.1505778
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Nigeria Airways Flight 2120
C-GMXQ, the aircraft involved in the accident, is seen here at Faro Airport in 1989.
Accident
Date11 July 1991 (1991-07-11)
SummaryUnder-inflated tire which overheated, shortly-after-takeoff fire
SiteKing Abdulaziz International Airport
21°40′12.83″N 39°09′2.08″E / 21.6702306°N 39.1505778°E / 21.6702306; 39.1505778
Aircraft
Aircraft typeDouglas DC-8-61
OperatorNolisair on behalf of Nigeria Airways
RegistrationC-GMXQ
Flight originKing Abdulaziz International Airport
DestinationSadiq Abubakar III International Airport
Passengers247
Crew14
Fatalities261 (all)
Injuries0
Survivors0

Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 refers to a Douglas DC-8 that crashed at King Abdulaziz International Airport on 11 July 1991, killing all 261 people on board.[1][2]

Aircraft

The aircraft involved in the accident was a 1968-built Douglas DC-8-61, registration C-GMXQ, owned by the Canadian company Nolisair, and usually operated by Nationair; at the time of the accident, it was being wet-leased to Nigeria Airways, which in turn sub-leased it to another company to transport Nigerian pilgrims to and from Mecca.[3] The 47-year-old pilot in command had logged 1,000 hours in type, while the 36-year-old first officer had 550 hours and the 46-year-old flight engineer 1,000 hours.[4]

Accident

The aircraft departed King Abdulaziz International Airport bound for Sadiq Abubakar III International Airport in Sokoto; problems were reported shortly after takeoff.[1][3] The crew attempted to return to the airport for an emergency landing, but the aircraft caught fire, experienced an inflight break-up, and crashed 2,875 metres (9,432 ft) short of the runway.[1][2][4] In fact, when it was on final, about 18 kilometres (11 mi) out of the airport and at an altitude of 671 metres (2,201 ft), a number of bodies fell from it, indicating that the fire by that time had consumed, at least partially, the cabin floor.[4] All 261 occupants on board —of whom 247 were passengers— perished in the accident.[1][3][5]

As of February 2012, the accident remains the deadliest one involving a Douglas DC-8, as well as the second deadliest one taking place on Saudi Arabian soil,[1] after Saudia Flight 163.[6]

Cause

Prior to departure, the lead mechanic had noticed that the "#2 and #4 tyre pressures were below the minimum for flight dispatch"[1] and attempted to inflate them, but no nitrogen gas was readily available, and the project manager, unwilling to accept a delay, disregarded the problem and readied the aircraft for dispatch.[4] As the aircraft was taxiing, the transfer of the load from the under-inflated #2 tyre to the #1 tyre on the same portside axle, resulting "in overdeflection, over-heating and structural weakening of the #1 tyre."[1] "The #1 tyre failed very early on the take-off roll", followed almost immediately by the #2.[1] The latter stopped rotating "for reasons not established", and the subsequent friction of the wheel assembly with the runway generated sufficient heat to start a self-sustaining fire.[1] The crew realized there was a problem, but not the nature or seriousness of it. The aircraft was not equipped with fire or heat sensors in the wheel assembly. The first officer was recorded remarking, "We gotta flat tire, you figure?"[4] Training on the DC-8 "did not include rejecting [takeoff] for tire or wheel failures",[1] and the captain proceeded with the takeoff.

When the landing gear was retracted, "burning rubber was brought into close proximity with hydraulic and electrical system components", causing the failure of both hydraulic and pressurisation systems that led to structural damage and loss of control of the aircraft.[2][4] The National Transportation Safety Board later concluded, "had the crew left the landing gear extended, the accident might have been averted".[4] Fuel, "probably introduced as a result of 'burn through' of the centre fuel tank",[1] intensified the fire, which eventually consumed the cabin floor. People began falling out of the airplane when their seat harnesses burned through. "Despite the considerable destruction to the airframe, the aircraft appeared to have been controllable until just before the crash."[4]

Aftermath

A memorial to the incident is located at the head office of Greater Toronto Airports Authority on the grounds of Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario.[citation needed] An episode of Mayday entitled "Under Pressure" covered this accident.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 6 February 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "Airline safety review – Fatal accidents: Non-scheduled passenger flights". Flight International: 22. 29 January 1992 – 4 February 1992. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2012. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b c "Headlines – Confusion over Saudi DC-8 crash". Flight International: 4. 17 July 1991 – 23 July 1991. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2012. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Tire Failure on Takeoff Sets Stage for Fatal Inflight Fire and Crash". Flight Safety Foundation. 1993. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  5. ^ "Catastrophe aérienne de Djeddah: 261 morts". Le Monde (in French). 13 July 1991. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Accident description for HZ-AHK at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 24 June 2012.
  7. ^ "Mayday: Under Pressure". discoverychannel.ca. Retrieved 6 August 2012.

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