Dana Air MD83 crashes near Lagos Airport
Reports are coming in about an incident involving a Dana Air aircraft carrying 153 people near Lagos Airport (Agege).
Summary:
A Dana Air McDonnell Douglas MD-83, registration 5N-RAM, performing flight 9J-992 from Abuja to Lagos with 153 people on board, was on approach to Lagos when the crew reported engine problems. On final approach to runway 18L at about 15:00 local time the aircraft collided with a power line, crashed into a built up area about 5-6nm from touch down and burst into flames. A number of residential houses around the crash site are on flames, too, a large smoke plume is visible above the city. All occupants of the aircraft perished in the crash, there is no information yet about victims on the ground.
Updates:
- Not looking good. First picture…
- Crash happened in a residential area. Several buildings are on fire.
- The crash site seems to be near Ayinla Bus Stop, north of the airport, Iju Ishaga road, Agege.
- This picture seems to confirm that it is a Dana Air MD83.
- 153 people said to be onboard.
- Dana Air just received its fifth MD-83 aircraft this week.
- Dana Air’s fleet details. Four aircraft are ex-Alaska and one ex-Avianca aircraft, all around twenty years old.
- Harold Demuren of NCAA confirms the crash of a Dana Air aircraft. Nigeria Federal Emergency Management Agency is en route to crash site
- Dana Air from Lagos Airport to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Uyo and Calabar: www.flydanaair.com. The airline was formed in 2008 by the Indian-owned Dana Group.
- 153 onboard according to the NCAA. No survivors.
- The last accident involving a commercial aircraft in Nigeria was the ADC B737-200, which crashed at Abuja Airport on 29 October 2006.
- Shocking images.
- Confirmed: 147 passengers and 6 crew members.
- The aircraft involved was registered 5N-RAM, a former Alaska Airlines plane built in 1990.
- Dana Air is working with NCAA and FAAN to release the manifest – names of passengers – of the crashed aircraft.
- The Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, is on her way to the crash site.
- CVR recovered according to this report.
- President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a three-day period of national mourning.
- There is still confusion over the flight involved: either flight 9J-992 from Abuja on approach to Lagos (as stated by the Ministry of Aviation) or flight 9J-1993/9J-997 from Lagos to Abuja that attempted a return after take-off.
- BBC uploaded a video of the aftermath of the crash. The speculation about the same aircraft being involved in an incident last month is unfounded.
- There were no survivors in the crash according to Mohammed Sani Sidi, director of Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency. Authorities have not released any information on casualties on the ground.
- It’s now confirmed that the aircraft was en route from Abuja to Lagos, flight number 9J-992.
- Boeing’s statement on today’s accident.
- Sixteen residents are reported to have died on the ground.
- The Ministry of Aviation has published phone numbers to which those involved can call for information.
Scene at the crash site
Dana Air – MD83 – 5N-RAM (copyright Ken Iwelumo)
Aviation in Nigeria 
It was two sundays ago.
Venue was the Christ Livingspring Apostolic Mission, Omole bus/stop, Ogba, Lagos.
The pastor, Engineer Wole Oladiyun, saw the aircrash, and even specified the loss of souls on the ground.
I was in church that day.
We all prayed, the entire church, against the accident; alas, it seems our best effort was not enough.
God Almighty, is blameless.
Jehovah Tsidkenu!
May the souls of the departed rest in peace,
Amen
God rest their soul…amen
Very painful. Am speechless. Please release the manifest, let us know whom we are mourning.
While I dont want to draw any conclusions on Dana, yet, and knowing that air investigations in Nigeria are dubious or non existent / untransparent, the technical record of this airline is not spotless. There are even allegations that the companys air charter division has no AOC despite charging VIP passengers. Furthermore this could be the same plane that had technical glitches in its engines a few weeks ago. I say the airline must be grounded pending an investigation. STOP TOYING WITH HUMAN LIVES. NIGERIA MUST MOVE FORWARD AND CLEANSE ITS AIRLINE AND OVERSIGHT SYSTEMS FROM THR INEPT, CORRUPT ELEMENTS. This is a wake up call that Nigerian aviation is not a lot safer than it was in 2005. Heads must roll, and soon.
And it better extend to establishing the general safety and emergency services culture and value for human life and human dignity, beyond air transport.
No time to waste blasting the authorities (who all get red cards, lets be honest) and all but to tackle the actual solution provision challenge.
The bad memories of mid last decade can’t be allowed to creep back in the system.
How can we solve these challenges NOW?
honestly dis s a shoking news to even think about,I jt hope necessary messure will be takn to checkmate dis happening again.despite the huge percentage takn by thd federal govt;adequate safety is now issue at d expense of d good ppl f nigeria.may their souls rest in blossom peace.Gods mercy;rest on nigeria amen.
see this one too guys for more pix. Dana Air’s McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 5N-RAM crashes today at Lagos, all dead.
condolence to all family victims
AS A FORMER AIRCRAFT MECHANIC,WHO FLEW FOR SO MANY YEARS,WITH
SO MANY AIRLINES AND ALSO INVOLVED IN A CRASH LANDING,AND
HAVE LOST SO MANY FRIENDS IN DIFFERENT CRASHES IN NIGERIA..
WILL SURFICE TO SAY THAT UNTIL THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY IS HANDED
OVER TO FOREIGN MANAGEMENT..GOD FORBID..IT’S STILL BOUND TO
HAPPEN.REASON..SIMPLY..CUTTING ..COSTS..
May d soul of people dat lose dare life rest in prefert pacea and 4 d military officer may will live long to remember dam rest in pacea d commanding officer of 6 battalion nigerian army
So many rumours abound. Latest is engine failure. Both engines failing at the same time? The odds on that are high with only loss of fuel , engine management system failure and pilot error being possible culprits for that.
Hydraulic failure (loss of all control) with single engine failure perhaps? Sabotage/terrorism? Perhaps the a/c was shot down with a primite missile, with the pilot struggling to keep the a/c in the air? We know that both the Captain was a highly experienced American pilot…Things as of now are very fishy indeed, as the weather was OK.
Unlikely. I just had a look at the hydraulic schematics for the MD80 Series. It and other aircraft of that generation can still be flown for short periods without hydraulics (like your car’s power steering when the pump stops working). Sabotage or terrorism when the plane is that close to landing? Bomb with altimeter when in descent? Unlikely.
American or Nigerian pilots both can still fly that type aircraft with high degrees of competency.
Contanminated fuel may also be ruled out as nothing had happened in the first 40 minutes of the flight. (As far as we know so far)
I know its Monday morning quarterbacking, but whatever the cause, it caught the pilots very quickly in that landing stage. I hope its not fuel starvation (not lifting enough kerosine in Abuja to within safety reserves).
It’s to early to say anything sensible about the causes of the crash. Apart from the reported engine failure, no facts have been mentioned in the media by the authorities. The desire to speculate is understandable, but the (Nigerian) media could be a bit more discreet in circulating rumours about Dana Air and the state of the crashed aircraft.
“Is there any way of getting confirmation about news I’m just getting that the Dana plane was distressed for a while but could not make an emergency landing because the airspace was closed for 2 hours for the Presidential Jet carrying Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan.
Private jet owners who had to hover in the air same time leaked this. This was apparently the reason local news didn’t report the crash for so long till CNN and foreign news stations started reporting it.
Local news was ‘blacked out’ trying to kill the story of the airspace being closed while a distressed plane couldn’t land.
It would be shocking if so. Though there was engine failure there was still time for the plane to have landed apparently.
You do know anyway that the airspace is closed for up to 2hours each time the Presidential Jet needs to go into the air? 2 hours for a 15minute take off or landing!
And this jet is used by President, VP, President’s wife and if I recall David Mark.
It’s almost a daily occurrence I’ve been told by airline staff when it caught me out on a trip
The truth remains that the President’s wife was actually in Lagos to attend the christening of their personal assistant’s child at the Oriental hotel.. Lekki. Anyone living on the Lekki axis saw first hand the horrendous traffic caused by the president’s wife’s visit..and confirmed reports from airport staff who volunteered information, collaborated this fact, that the Lagos airport was actually shut for 2 hours, about the same time the ill fated Dana Plane crashed. This also strongly explains the reason why Aero contractor airplane could not depart Abuja for Lagos at 3:40pm because of the closure of the Lagos airport. This is criminal and one can only imagine the deep sorrow ad-in-finitum (without limit) that the families of these unfortunate Nigerians and other nationals are currently plagued into. Grief that is so thick in the air, that one can cut through with a knife…rooted soul searching. Yes we have to and yes we can; beginning from our immediate homes and While we pray for the repose of the souls of the departed, we need as a nation to thoroughly do some deep ommunities.. with time this will snowball into our National consciousness. For how long are we going to sacrifice the lives of our dear brothers and sisters and by extension mortgage the future of their/our children, just for the comfort of our leaders? For a 15 minutes ritual of plane take-off, an airport was shut for 2 hours because our “DEAR FIRST LADY” was scheduled to return to Abuja.. OH merciful God, help Nigeria in Distress!”
This rumour has indeed been circulating today. It’s a matter that has to be investigated as so many other questions.
The office of the first lady issued a press statement denying this rumour: http://247ureports.com/press-release-from-office-of-the-first-lady-politicizing-the-dana-crash-calamity/
I doubt whether the so called VIP movement element will be investigated. Both data boxes (if functional ) can confirm or disprove this as well as tower communication transcripts. Fully understand the points trying to be made here but this is meant to be an aviation site so let’s please get our terminologies correct. Hover is not a term used for fixed wing airplanes but only for choppers. Circling is a appropraite term.
The problem of VIP traffic in Nigeria is well-known. However, if true, other air traffic would have been holding at the same time, but there are no independent reports confirming this. The speculation is so far based on the fact that the first lady was in Lagos on Sunday. LOS has two runways: are they both closed down in case of VIP movements? It’s hard to imagine that ATC would tell an aircraft declaring an emergency to hold, even in Nigeria.
Again speculating:..The aircraft dropped from the sky, with both engines off line…sounds like a stall !! But why would the pilot even put the a/c in a situation where it has no choice but to drop onto a heavily populated area in urban Lagos? Why would he not turn right to say heading 280′ to try and land in an open field? Perhaps he thought he stands a chance to simply glide the aircraft towards the 18L threshold. A reasonable a/c pitch with appropriate attitude, and a watchful eye over your speed, and you can glide into LOS from 10-15 NM from the threshold.
According to ‘experts’ the most likely cause is a fuel problem of some kind (contamination, technical issue, empty tanks). If you look at the pictures, it appears that the aircraft did glide into the buildings rather than dropping nose down from the sky. There are no open fields in that part of Lagos really. As the aircraft was positioned to land on runway 18L, it seems that they tried to ‘glide’ to the airport. Eyewitnesses stated that it took 20 minutes before the aircraft engulfed in fire.
Which raises questions about the built environment of the crash site and what happened with the planning..
Planning? Haba Anonymous!
Real sorry may as many dat are vitm soul rest in peace
It is obvious to every right thinking person that all is not well in Aviation Industry in Nigeria. There are many factors responsible for such misfortunes 1, Irresponsible liquidation of Nigeria airways without proper thinking of what it will cost the country. 2,Dishonesty on the part of Aviation Administrators 3, The idea of employing people they considered as good house boys leaving the masters.4,Bribery both financially and materially. By this,they bribe leaders out of sense. My conclusion is that every top position in the Aviation Industry must be advertised on the internet and employ gurus,no matter were they come from because it appears that we Nigerians can not manage anything well base on the facts mentioned above.
How on earth did the country manage to regain the U.S. Cat 1 status in spite of the apparent lapses???
Beats me.
I understand it was an all out effort especially in the key compliance area of electronic record keeping. My main question of compliance has always been around inspections. Do we have enough qualified personnel to inspect a myriad of planes, records and indeed pilots? Are there enough Nigerian check pilots to cover the various fleet types we have in the country?
However regarding Dr Demurin’s cancelled trip to Ghana because of the Afrijet crash the day before the Dana accident, it would have been proper for him to have recused himself from that Accra trip as he was the founder/ MD/ CEO etc of Afrijet albeit years ago.
Sorry Allied