EAS Airlines Flight 4226
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The accident aircraft while still in operation with TAROM, seen here in London-Heathrow International Airport in 1981. | |
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 4 May 2002 |
| Summary | Pilot error |
| Site | Kano, Nigeria |
| Passengers | 69 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 149 (including 78 on the ground) |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 11 (5 on the ground) |
| Survivors | 6 |
| Aircraft type | BAC One-Eleven 525FT |
| Operator | EAS Airlines |
| Registration | 5N-ESF |
| Flight origin | Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport |
| Destination | Murtala Muhammed International Airport |
EAS Airlines Flight 4226 was a scheduled flight between the Nigerian cities of Kano (Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport) and Lagos (Murtala Muhammed International Airport). At about 14:35 local time (13:35 UTC) on 4 May 2002, Flight 4226 from Kano crash-landed in a residential area of the city called Gwammaja. The plane, a BAC One-Eleven 525FT with 69 passengers and 8 crew members on board, burst into flames upon impact. The accident resulted in the deaths of 64 passengers and 7 crew in addition to at least 78 civilians on the ground.[1][2]
Following an investigation by the Nigerian Minister of Aviation, the cause of the crash was ruled to be pilot error.[3] The findings of the investigation stated the engines failed following their intake of a large amount of dust. This occurred as a result of the pilot overshooting the runway and continuing the take-off through a grassy area at the end of the runway.[3] Following the engine failure the plane rapidly descended into the neighbouring Gwammaja area of Kano ultimately destroying several structures on the ground. Its crash resulted in the deaths of all but six (five passengers and one crew member) of the plane's occupants in addition to 78 civilians on the ground.[3]
Prior to the fatal crash, the aircraft involved in the incident had been grounded on two previous occasions: once in 2001 for eleven days to perform engine maintenance, and again in 2002 for 52 days to address engine problems.[3]
Flight 4226 has the highest death toll of any aviation accident involving a BAC One-Eleven.
See also
- Viasa Flight 742, another crash in which a small twinjet aircraft (a McDonnell Douglas DC-9) crashed into a crowded city area shortly after takeoff, causing a high amount of ground fatalities.
References
Coordinates: 12°01′30″N 8°30′30″E / 12.02500°N 8.50833°E