On October 2, 1989, a Boeing 737-200 (registration 5N-ANX) operated by Nigeria Airways was involved in an aviation accident near Lagos-Murtala Muhammed, Nigeria during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft failed to decelerate sufficiently on a slippery runway, leading to an overrun and gear collapse. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
Photo: San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
An aircraft failed to stop on a wet runway during landing, resulting in a runway excursion and significant damage to the airframe.
What happened
During a standard approach procedure, the aircraft type encountered a runway surface that was wet at the time of arrival. Upon touchdown, the aircraft was unable to decelerate sufficiently within the available runway length. This led to a runway overrun where the vessel traveled past the end of the paved surface.
As the excursion continued, the nose landing gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to come to a halt several dozen meters beyond the runway threshold. Despite the impact, all 135 occupants were able to evacuate the plane without injury. The structural damage sustained during the event was so severe that the aircraft was declared a total loss.
Findings
The primary factor in the excursion was the inability to stop on the wet runway surface within the remaining distance available.
Probable cause
The aircraft failed to decelerate sufficiently on a slippery runway, leading to an overrun and gear collapse.
