What happened
On the scheduled flight from Abuja to Port Harcourt, the aircraft, operating under call sign OSL 1 1eral 145, was carrying a total of 110 people, including 103 passengers and 7 crew members. The flight proceeded normally until the aircraft reached an altitude of 24,000 feet, at which point the crew established contact with Port Harcourt Approach Control. Following instructions for an ILS approach to runway 21, the aircraft began its descent.
During the descent, the crew inquired about weather conditions near the station. While the controller reported no rain, the crew was notified of scattered cumulonimbus clouds. As the aircraft approached the runway, the controller warned of approaching precipitation and transferred communication to the Tower. The Tower controller cleared the aircraft for landing on runway 21 but advised the pilot to use caution due to a slightly wet runway surface.
At approximately 1308 hours UTC, the aircraft type impacted a grass strip located 70 meters to the left of the runway edge and 540 meters from the threshold. During the sequence of events, the tail section struck a concrete drainage culvert with significant force. This impact caused the aircraft to disintegrate and ignite, creating a fire trail spanning 790 meters. The wreckage trail extended a total of 1,120 meters, with the cockpit and forward fuselage separated from the main debris by 330 meters. The accident occurred during the day under Instrument Meteorological Conditions.
Findings
Emergency responders recovered 7 survivors and 103 fatalities from the site, though 5 of the survivors later passed away in medical care. The wreckage distribution and the heavy impact with a drainage culvert contributed to the total destruction of the airframe.