What happened
During a nighttime flight originating from Tripoli, the crew attempted an approach into Kano-Intl Airport. While on final approach, the aircraft impacted the terrain approximately 3.2 km before reaching the threshold of runway 07. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the plane. Among the occupants, there was one fatality and six serious injuries.
Findings
Investigations into the crash identified a critical error in judgment by the captain. After spotting the runway lights, the pilot focused primarily on maintaining visual contact with them, which led to a failure to monitor essential flight instruments. This lack of instrument reference caused the aircraft to descend below the required 360-foot obstacle clearance limit.
Because the landing lights were not activated and there was no visible ground reference in the dark, the distant runway lights provided inadequate information regarding the plane's altitude and approach angle. The pilot remained unaware that the descent had reached ground level. Additionally, investigators noted the captain's fatigue as a contributing factor to the accident.