Crew 8 Survivors 6 Date 4 May 2002 | Passengers 69 Injuries (non-fatal) 11 (5 on the ground) Summary Pilot error Location Kano | |
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Total fatalities 149 (including 78 on the ground) Similar Iran Air Tours Flight 956, TAME Flight 120, 2002 Prestige Airlines B, Laoag International Airlines Fl, Kano air disaster | ||
EAS Airlines Flight 4226 was a scheduled flight between the Nigerian cities of Kano (Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport) and Lagos (Murtala Muhammed International Airport). At about 14:35 local time (13:35 UTC) on 4 May 2002, Flight 4226 from Kano crash-landed in a residential area of the city called Gwammaja. The plane, a BAC One-Eleven 525FT with 69 passengers and 8 crew members on board, burst into flames upon impact. The accident resulted in the deaths of 64 passengers and 7 crew in addition to at least 78 civilians on the ground.
Following an investigation by the Nigerian Minister of Aviation, the cause of the crash was ruled to be pilot error. The findings of the investigation stated the engines failed following their intake of a large amount of dust. This occurred as a result of the pilot overshooting the runway and continuing the take-off through a grassy area at the end of the runway. Following the engine failure the plane rapidly descended into the neighbouring Gwammaja area of Kano ultimately destroying several structures on the ground. Its crash resulted in the deaths of all but six (five passengers and one crew member) of the plane's occupants in addition to 78 civilians on the ground.
Prior to the fatal crash, the aircraft involved in the incident had been grounded on two previous occasions: once in 2001 for eleven days to perform engine maintenance, and again in 2002 for 52 days to address engine problems.
Flight 4226 has the highest death toll of any aviation accident involving a BAC One-Eleven.