The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has concluded its report on the causes of the 2012 Dana air crash that killed 159 people.
According to the investigators in a report published on Monday, mechanical failure and pilot error caused the crash.
The report said two engines on the Dana Air flight from Abuja failed mid-air before it crashed while approaching the Lagos airport.
“Engine number one lost power 17 minutes into the flight, and thereafter on final approach, engine number two lost power and failed to respond to throttle movement on demand for increased power to sustain the aircraft in its flight configuration,” the report stated.
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” also contributed to the crash, it added.
Investigators said “lack of situation awareness, inappropriate decision-making and poor airmanship” were also to blame for the crash on June 3, 2012.
The Dana Air crash was one of the worst accidents in Nigerian aviation history.
The Boeing MD-83 aircraft was carrying 153 passengers and crew when it crashed into a densely-populated area in the north of Lagos and burst into flames. Six people were killed on the ground.
The long-running investigation involved officials from the airline, engine manufacturers Pratt & Whitney and international aviation experts.
“Everybody is satisfied with the final report and those found wanting have made necessary adjustments,” AIB commissioner, Akin Olateru, said.
Nigerian aviation authorities suspended Dana’s operating licence on June 5, 2012, two days after the crash.
But it was briefly allowed to resume operation in January 2013 after meeting some safety standards but did not start full operations until the following January.
Olateru told reporters the agency, which released a preliminary report on the crash in September 2012, spent so long on the investigation because of cash shortages.
He said the agency needed more funding, as the 16 million naira allocated to it in 2017 was not enough.
