What happened
On the evening of 30 January 2000, a Kenya Airways Airbus 310-304, registered 5Y-BEN, was prepared for a scheduled flight from Abidjan to Nairobi via Lagos. The aircraft, carrying 169 passengers and 10 crewmembers, had previously arrived at Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport following a diversion due to poor weather in Lagos.
During the takeoff sequence, the crew completed engine start-up and taxiing procedures as planned. At approximately 21:08:18, the Captain applied takeoff power. Shortly after rotation and the retraction of the landing gear, a stall warning was triggered. As the aircraft climbed, the radio altimeter provided descending altitude callouts from 300 feet down to 10 feet. Amidst these warnings, the crew attempted to manage the situation, but the aircraft struck the water at approximately 21:09:24. The accident resulted in 179 fatalities.
Findings
An official inquiry determined that the primary cause of the crash was a collision with the sea caused by the pilot flying applying an incorrect recovery technique. Upon hearing the stick shaker, the pilot pushed the control column forward to stop the warning, which inadvertently initiated a descent. While the pilot reduced the pitch, they failed to move the thrust levers to the TOGA position as required by the airline's operating manual for low-altitude stall warnings.
Several contributing factors were identified:
- The pilot's input on the control column caused a descent that went unnoticed by the crew despite altitude callouts.
- GPWS warnings were masked by higher-priority stall and overspeed alerts due to aircraft warning prioritization rules.
- The combination of nighttime conditions and a takeoff heading toward the ocean left the crew with no external visual references to realize their proximity to the water.