Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3) accident at Abeokuta, Nigeria, 8 Jun 1946 (KG747)
On June 8, 1946, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3) (registration KG747) operated by Royal Air Force - RAF was involved in an aviation accident near Abeokuta, Nigeria in flight. 23 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: It was reported that the charts used by the crew were partially wrong and useless as the altitude mentioned were false. 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.
Probable cause
It was reported that the charts used by the crew were partially wrong and useless as the altitude mentioned were false.
— NTSB Determination
Accident narrative
En route from Kano to Lagos, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with low visibility and turbulence in cumulonimbus. To avoid this low pressure area, the captain decided to modify his route and reduced his altitude. Shortly later, the airplane hit tree tops and crashed in a wooded area. All 22 occupants, among them four civilians, medical staff and engineers, were killed. A man on the ground was also killed. Crew: F/Lt James Henry Gilfillan, pilot, W/O Cecil Brian Morgan, pilot, F/O Colin Henry Lynch, navigator, F/Sgt Colin David Brough, observer, F/Sgt Roy Pitt, radio operator, A1c Raymond William Peden.
Probable cause (official findings): It was reported that the charts used by the crew were partially wrong and useless as the altitude mentioned were false.