What happened
On the night of the accident, 5N-BMM, an aircraft type not specified, was conducting an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt. The flight, carrying six souls onboard, was cleared to maintain FL330 before beginning a series of descents as it approached the destination. At 1936 hrs, the aircraft was cleared to 2,000 feet on QNH 1011 for a straight-in ILS approach to Runway 21.
During the final approach, the Tower advised the crew that the runway surface was wet and instructed them to exercise caution. At 1950 hrs, the crew confirmed they were three miles from the runway. Shortly after, at 1952:26 hrs, the aircraft's automated minimums callout activated. The pilot flying reported being off the centerline and noted a lack of visibility ahead. Despite the pilot monitoring instructing the pilot flying to descend, the aircraft crashed five seconds later.
Following the impact, the crew exited the aircraft without completing the Emergency Evacuation Checklist. The right engine continued to run for approximately 28 minutes post-crash and had to be shut down by the Fire Service using water hoses. The impact with a large culvert caused the aircraft to rotate 90 degrees and uprooted the structure. Additionally, a gully parallel to the runway caused a landing gear component to break off. The aircraft came to rest two meters from the active runway.
Findings
- The runway surface was wet at the time of the accident.
- The pilot flying reported being unable to see down the runway and noted they were not on the centerline.
- The crew failed to complete the Emergency Evacuation Checklist following the impact.