Investigation into 2012 Nigeria plane crash faults pilots
The pilots of a Nigerian airliner failed to follow emergency procedures and didn't land after one of the plane's two engines lost power only minutes into the flight, according to a government investigation into the June 2012 crash that killed 153 on board and others on the ground. A 210-page report by Nigeria's Accident Investigation Bureau into the crash of the Dana Air MD-83 renews long-standing questions over aviation safety in Africa's most populous nation. The pilots, apparently fearing government oversight, pressed on with the flight from Abuja, the capital, to Lagos after losing power to the first engine 17 minutes into the hourlong flight. On the plane's approach to Lagos' Murtala Muhammed International Airport, the plane lost power to the second engine. A cause for the engine failures wasn't specified in the report, though it mentioned another incident in which a Dana Air MD-83 lost engine power over improperly positioned fuel lines. "If the crew had maintained high altitude as suggested by the co-pilot, they would have had height advantage over Lagos for better speed and maneuvering to enhance their chances of survival during the emergency landing," the report said. The plane, loaded with 18,000 pounds of fuel, crashed in Lagos' Iju-Ishaga neighborhood. A massive fire engulfed the aircraft. Several passengers died of carbon monoxide poisoning, suggesting "that the victims were alive for some time in the fire that probably followed the crash," the report said. Six others on the ground died in the crash, the report said, contradicting previous reports that 10 had been killed.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2017-03-15/unaligned/investigation-into-2012-nigeria-plane-crash-faults-pilots
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Investigation into 2012 Nigeria plane crash faults pilots
The pilots of a Nigerian airliner failed to follow emergency procedures and didn't land after one of the plane's two engines lost power only minutes into the flight, according to a government investigation into the June 2012 crash that killed 153 on board and others on the ground. A 210-page report by Nigeria's Accident Investigation Bureau into the crash of the Dana Air MD-83 renews long-standing questions over aviation safety in Africa's most populous nation. The pilots, apparently fearing government oversight, pressed on with the flight from Abuja, the capital, to Lagos after losing power to the first engine 17 minutes into the hourlong flight. On the plane's approach to Lagos' Murtala Muhammed International Airport, the plane lost power to the second engine. A cause for the engine failures wasn't specified in the report, though it mentioned another incident in which a Dana Air MD-83 lost engine power over improperly positioned fuel lines. "If the crew had maintained high altitude as suggested by the co-pilot, they would have had height advantage over Lagos for better speed and maneuvering to enhance their chances of survival during the emergency landing," the report said. The plane, loaded with 18,000 pounds of fuel, crashed in Lagos' Iju-Ishaga neighborhood. A massive fire engulfed the aircraft. Several passengers died of carbon monoxide poisoning, suggesting "that the victims were alive for some time in the fire that probably followed the crash," the report said. Six others on the ground died in the crash, the report said, contradicting previous reports that 10 had been killed.<br/>
