B727 crash landing in Lagos

[littlejet]

Any info about B727 skid off rwy 18L in LOS?
Rainy season taking its toll?

[surely not]

Did its 'tyres fail to unfurl' again? :D Classic report that of the Chanchangi accident at the beginning of the year.

What time is the incident alleged to have happened?

[SASless]

Land long and hot.....don't go around......!

[Gunship]

Yip must have been rainy season incurred .. a few the last week already ..

[Rani]

An incident occured yesterday in JOS, not Lagos. The affected aircraft is EAS Airlines Boeing 737-200 which skidded off the runway in bad weather (spent one hour in holding patterns waiting for weather to improve). No fatalities reported, but the airline is yet to make a statement. I wonder, why didn't the pilot simply change course and land in Enugu or Port Harcourt instead, if he had that much fuel?

[littlejet]

The info I have is that it was Chanchangi 722 this morning.
The 19L is now called 18L.
Maybe it is time to have proper reports from TWR about breaking action and rwy deposit depth. With those information the pilots could rely on company SOP and divert or postpone landing if conditions are below required. Without that the landing is gambling and/or one could face management attaks for diverting.
I was flying in that region for 3 years and I now how difficult it is to make a decision, when you see others are landing and you are thinking about diverting. Also it woudnt be so hard to install ILS on the other side of rwy in order to avoid prevailing tailwinds on 18L/R during rainy season.

Safe landings to all.

[surely not]

19L or 18L depending whether you read the Notam or the markings on the runway :D

Trying to get any weather info for anywhere in nIgeria is very difficult. Why is it that he ex French colonies seem to be able to provide the weather yet Nigeria cannot?

[Rani]

ASECNA is a professionally run organization in charge of airnav control and information (including weather) in most West/Central ex- French colonies. France continues to provide regular training and direct financial assistance. Nigeria on the other hand can only rely on FAAN for aviation weather info and that leaves much to be desired. Whatever happened to the National Weather Center project in Abuja?

[surely not]

The Nigerian Me Office in Lagos insist that they send the info trhough to ASECNA for publication world wide, but nohing ever appears.

So if you want up to date met you have to go to the met office and get a hand scrawled met report. Maybe FAAN/NAMA should look at providing the staff with direct internet input?

[Rani]

Which brings us here to ask, how will VGN get real-time, reliable weather info for each flight? Walk up to FAAN in person? Ouch!

[surely not]

Safe to say Rani that I believe VGN have measures in place to ensure accurate weather :D

[GlobalFlyer]

Thank God for GSM, especially in Nigeria!

[Oyindo]

VGN have measures in place to ensure accurate weather Or maybe ACARS if they use the right sort of aircraft.

[chuks]

The 'official weather' is whatever that little man in the Met cubbyhole says it is, and never mind having your own weather observer. There's a long-told story about the then Lufthansa Lagos Station Manager having crates of beer placed along 19R at 100 metre intervals, with the weather observers being told that as many as they could see they could have. I think it's a true story, actually.

Poor weather reporting has been a persistent problem with operating in Nigeria since years. It's kind of weird to get this great comprehensive packet of weather info at Bamako, say, when Mali is a very poor country. That will include METARS, TAFS, satellite imagery... you name it. Try AIS in Lagos, if you can find it, and see what you get.

I remember once being refused a special weather report at a major Nigerian airport when the reason turned out to be that their Met office issued 24 little slips of paper per day on which to write the official observations. If the observer made a special report then he would be one slip short!

ASECNA even come to do the calibration of the Nigerian approach aids. The Nigerian calibration aircraft was crashed years ago, just after having been re-fitted at great expense. So now they have to pay to have an ASECNA ATR-42 come and do the job for them.

Then another problem might be a strange mindset that praises the heroism of a pilot who attempts a landing in impossible conditions rather than questioning why he didn't wait or divert.

I have seen this at first hand, going by what I read in the local papers after the Airways Airbus crash in Lagos. Then an overspeed approach with no reversers to a wet, slick runway that was the shorter of the two available resulted in a landing over-run that wrote off the aircraft. It was all about the heroism of the pilot rather than any questions about his judgement, in the local papers. It seemed like a real shame to me to see that almost-new aircraft sat out there in the mud for no good reason.

Too you have the way that Lagos is treated very much as a one-way airport. It can be almost impossible to get a clearance to make an approach to 36R or L even with strong tailwinds or localised heavy rainshowers on the approach. Of course a missed approach would see you go hooning off through all the aircraft holding over the VOR.

[Rani]

It seems the real issue here is compliance or non-compliance with ATC instructions.

_________________________-


Near-crashes: FG suspends 2 pilots, orders re-training for pilots
2005-06-13 09:08:06
By Wale HAASTRUP
............................................................ .

Following two near-crashes, which could have claimed over 250 lives at the Lagos and Jos airports yesterday and Saturday, the two pilots who flew the affected planes have been suspended from flight operations by the Federal Government.
The pilots (names withheld) who are in the employ of Chanchangi and EAS airlines overshot the runway by 100 metres and 40 metres respectively.
Speaking to aviation correspondents yesterday in Lagos, the Minister of Aviation, Isa Yuguda said, "We will not allow the safety of our air travelers to be jeopardized. The pilots were advised by air traffic controllers not to land but went ahead and they overshot the runway".
The minister added that following the preliminary investigations conducted by the Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB), Aviation ministry and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the two pilots disregarded air traffic controllers' advice.
He further disclosed that the investigation showed that there was heavy rain when the two incidences occurred, which caused the runways to be flooded.
According to him, when the pilots filed there flight plans they would have chosen alternate airports to land if there is a cause that would not allow them to land at their destination.
Yuguda who directed that the pilots suspended for three months, also directed them to proceed immediately to recurrent training, ordering that all airlines must send all their pilots to such training.
The Director General of the NCAA Fidelis Onyeyiri was mandated to supervise and ensure compliance of the orders given by the Minister. EAS Airlines planes that departed from Lagos heading for Jos on Saturday overshot the runway at the Jos Airport by 40 metres.
The aircraft was reported to have hovered for about two and half hours before the pilot decided to land on the water-logged runway.
Eyewitness account showed that one of the tyres and wing were completely damaged, while part of its fuselage was also buried in the mud. One of the passengers that spoke with BUSINESS DAY stated that they were advised in Lagos before take off that the weather in Jos was bad.
He, however. stated that the pilot attempted to land at Kaduna and Minna Airports but was not able to do so.
In the case of the Chanchangi Airline plane, the flight was coming from Kaduna to Lagos at about 9.30 am.
The aircraft, a Boeing 727, skidded off the runway and overshot the runway by 100 metres.
Aboard the aircraft were 129 passengers, including Muhammed Tukur, the airline's public relations manager.


Source: BusinessDay www.businessdayonline.com

[chuks]

I would disagree with Rani's opinion, stated above. There must be some underlying factor that would cause a pilot to persist in attempting to land in Jos and then having an over-run, rather than simply diverting to Abuja or Kaduna, say, and waiting for the Jos weather to clear. Pressure from management, perhaps? I have no firm idea, but there must be more to it than just choosing to finally disregard ATC instructions. Correct me if I am wrong but I don't think ATC can issue an approach ban simply for a wet, flooded runway.

Also, I cannot believe they held for 2 1/2 hours before landing. I don't think they carry that much fuel, usually. One would have to have 2 1/2 hours extra fuel, so that one could still land with enough fuel to divert and hold, right? Of course, I have no experience in flying large jets, so that I could be wrong in this.

One factor might be that we often get totally incorrect information about the current weather. This leads us to discount what we are told, even if it may be correct.

Even so, if the ministry is finally cracking down a bit, that's a start.

[SASless]

Someone cleaned up the Lagos Airport operation did they not....reckon they have moved onto other areas of interest?

[NDB17]

I know the said pilot of the EAS aircraft, a true professional and very level headed individual. He was previously with DANA on the Do 228 & 328. I believe the minister's decision was uncalled for since there is no preliminary report of the incident to back up his claim. I guess its a case of bad advice from those who know there incompetence was a factor in the incident.

I don't believe ATC adviced the pilot not to land, neither do I believe he held for 2 1/2 hrs. Secondly, when did rainfall started preventing aircrafts from landing. The authorites know they dropped the ball on this one and are trying hard to cover up.

The lack of professionalism on the part of the "professionals" is a major problem confronting the aviation industry in nigeria. NO one wants to speak up for fear of rocking the boat. So we continue on with the stupidity which is being perpetrated.
I learnt awhile back, that the cafu pilots who were sent for the hs125 type course all failed. So I am not surprised they crashed the calibration aircraft.

I believe true professionals have to be recruited to man the various organs in the industry. Rather than the current system of "federal character".

NDB17

[ZAZOO]

Well said NDB17( By the way how are you ol boy) nothing left for me to add to your post other than I also know the Captain concerned and concur with you on his professional manner in handling his duties. Top Aviator !

1. Water logged runway they say........ well what ere ministers people doing with a water logged runway!!! for Christ's sake it is common knowledge Mr Minister that Airports have an efficient procedure when it comes to water on the runway, and it does not take 2.5hrs to put that procedure into place and get aircraft back on the ground. eh ehm someone please remind me what they call them again :sad: :sad:


Can He confidently tell us what procedure is available on ground in Lagos :* Do they have the equipment, is it operational.

Cos if he has forgotten it is not a very good policy for airports to say landing rights denied, go somewhere else!

I hope he will also suspend those responsible for keeping the runway clogged with water, cos it looks like in this country pilots are always to blame for things like this.

Zaz

[oneeyed]

Yuguda who directed that the pilots suspended for three months, also directed them to proceed immediately to recurrent training, ordering that all airlines must send all their pilots to such training.

So the Honourable Yuguda has now finally become prosecutor, judge and executioner - well don o

How can a Minister of Aviation without having had a report of any accident investigation go on the air and finish two pilots carreer by dragging them through the mud - whomever read todays papers is fully aware of the identity of the two - prior to the conclusion of the ongoing investigation.

I don't know too much about the EAS incident in Jos but I'm fully aware of the details that lead to the Lagos one where the aircraft WAS cleared to land and was also informed by ATC that the runway is wet ! NOT flooded

I believe it's about time someone gets up and does something about incompetence on ministerial level - as usually the fish stinks from the head - not the tail.

We hail thee Nigeria and Mallam Isa Yuguda:{

[Oyindo]

Proper maintenance/update of airport facilities is the government’s responsibility. There are hardly regular runway surface inspections carried out and no braking action measurement taken when a runway is contaminated. It beggars believe how an ATC controller can determine the state of the runway sitting in the tower cowering under his umbrella due to a leaking roof.

A look at some of the avition organisations within Nigeria, shows there is a lack of commitment by some officials, due to nepotism within the ranks; this makes it impossible to get the right people in the right positions. Until erring officials are held accountable and prosecuted if found guilty for negligence and sent away for a few years, to life changing Kirikiri, it seems nothing will change.

Where do all the taxes and fees collected within the different aviation organisations go? Only about 10% goes back into the system. There are some airports with outdated systems still in use. We are lucky this time that there were no fatalities.
Pilots already start off at a disadvantage, having to operate in these harsh conditions where, hardly anything works, they do put in there very best. The axe should start to fall on those at the very top start and not make scapegoats of these poor lads pending a full investigation. It is so easy to blame someone else.

[SASless]

Is that three months with pay?

Chuks....Dana ....is that not the fellers that stacked up two 228's in one afternoon at Eket a few years ago....during dusty season? Made it all hard to drive off to the boozer as I recall. Same thing....touched down about mid field going like the clappers and smashed to a stop at the hangar end of the airfield.

Both of them!

[Tokunbo]

littlejet,

Don't know which part of Nigeria you spent your 3 years in, but the prevailing wind in the rainy season is from the southwest, changing to northerly or north easterly during the periods of Marmattan in the dry season. However, you're right, with all the money presently being expended on resurfacing runway 36L/18R it seems crazyb they don't seem to be looking at putting an ILS on 36L.

Did anyone see the passengers being offloaded from the aircraft which suffered a nosewheel problem on the taxiway the other day as well?