Authorities Investigate Cause of Devestating Plane Crash in Nigeria Last Weekend

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is investigating the devastating airplane crash that occurred on Sunday in a highly populated suburb of Lagos, Nigeria.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 airplane was taking a routine flight from Abuja to Lagos when, due to unknown reasons, the plane made a crash landing into a highly populated suburb of Lagos. The crash and subsequent fire killed the 147 passengers and six crew members. So far six additional bodies who were on the ground at the time of the crash were also found, bringing the total to 159 people. However, there could still be more bodies under the rubble.

The NCAA has suspended the license of the aircraft carrier Dana Air until extensive probes can be made into the reasons behind the crash to make sure that the carrier followed protocol to ensure the plane’s safety. So far the voice recorder has been recovered. Stella Oduah, the Aviation Minister, said that on the tape the captain reported a dual engine failure and called, but then communications failed.

Although this is Nigeria’s first crash in over six years, it may, along with the Allied Cargo plane crash in Accra, Ghana that killed 10 people on Saturday after leaving Lagos, Nigeria, have an adverse affect on the Category 1 rating it received in 2010 by the US Federal Aviation Administration. If crashes so close in proximity continue to happen, the reliability and safety of Nigerian air carrier lines will decrease, as will public opinion, which may result in a significant lack of support from potential consumers and aviation administrations in other countries. This could lead to an inability to have direct flights to certain nations which would then increase the lengths of flights.

The NCAA has taken the right steps so far in recovering the last recordings of the flight and checking the status of the plane at its last inspection; however, there is still an unsettling feeling about having two crashes only a day apart. If their license is returned, Dana Air, as well as Allied Cargo, has much work to do for their public image in order to reaffirm continued support and their reliability.

Photo Credit: Associated Press