Poor decision caused Dana Air crash, report concludes
An official report into the 2012 Dana Air crash, which killed 153 passengers and crew on board, has concluded inappropriate decision making caused the crash.
The report, by the Accident Investigation Bureau, blamed the pilot for failing to land at the nearest airport when the aircraft lost first engine.
It said the crash could have been avoided, if the captain had made the right decision.
Boeing MD-83 with registration number 5N-RAM, which took off from Abuja lost power 17 minutes into the flight, and thereafter on final approach, the second engine lost power and failed to respond to throttle movement.
Other factors identified were the inappropriate omission of the use of the Checklist, and the crew’s inability to appreciate the severity of the power-related problem, and their subsequent failure to land at the nearest suitable airfield.
The plane crash occurred at Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos, and killed people on the ground.
Reports into other crashes were also released, including OAS Helicopters (Nig.) Limited Ecuruiel A 350 B2 Helicopter with Registration 5N-BKA which occurred at Oke-Oba Hill, Ikonifin, Osun State, on 29th July, 2011; serious incident involving Bristow Helicopters Ltd Sikorsky S-92 with Registration 5N-BOA at Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA), Lagos on 27th February, 2013 and the serious incident involving Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime Safety and Security (PICOMSS) aircraft with Registration 5N-BKS which happened at Benin Airport Edo State on 5th July, 2012.
The bureau made four safety recommendations: one directed at Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United State targeting Pratt & Whitney the engine manufacturer; one to Dana Airlines; one to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) (with 3 safety recommendations in one); and one to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on Quality Assurance Management.
