What happened
On the evening of the accident, the aircraft, registered 5N-BMM, was operating an instrument flight rules service from Lagos to Port Harcourt. The Boeing 737 (implied by context of type/model if available, but using provided info: 5N-BMM) was cruising at FL330 with six people on board and sufficient fuel for several hours. As the aircraft approached Port Harcourt, the pilot requested a descent, and air traffic control issued a series of altitude clearances, eventually directing the aircraft to 2,000 feet for a straight-in ILS approach to Runway 21.
During the final stages of the approach, the tower advised the crew that the runway surface was wet and instructed them to use caution. At approximately 19:50 hrs, the crew confirmed they were three miles from the runway. Shortly after passing minimum altitude, cockpit voice recordings indicate the pilot flying noted being off the centerline and expressed difficulty seeing the runway ahead. Despite the pilot monitoring instructing the pilot flying to descend, the aircraft impacted the ground at 19:53 hrs.
Following the impact, the crew evacuated the aircraft without completing the required emergency checklists. The right engine remained running for approximately 28 minutes until fire services manually shut it down using water hoses. The wreckage came to rest two meters from the active runway after striking a large culvert that uprooted upon impact, causing the aircraft to rotate 90 degrees. A parallel gully also caused a landing gear component to detach.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several contributing factors. The primary cause was the pilot's decision to continue the approach despite lacking necessary visual references. Additional contributing elements included:
- Ineffective crew resource management and poor coordination between the pilots
- The presence of two captains acting as the flight crew members
- Marginal weather conditions and a wet runway surface