ADC Airlines Boeing 737-2B7 plane crash
Abuja, Nigeria
Updated on
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 loose 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.
