What happened
On the day of the accident, a charter flight operating for the Central Bank of Nigeria was traveling from Abuja to Jos. The flight, which included 6 souls on board, experienced difficulties managing the power setting on the starboard engine during the cruise phase at flight level 90. After encountering issues with the engine torque, the crew decided to divert the aircraft to Kaduna.
While approaching Kaduna, the crew informed the tower that they intended to perform a single-engine approach because the starboard engine was being shut down due to power control problems. The crew successfully shut down the right engine approximately 11 nautical miles from the field. During the final approach to runway 05, the aircraft's speed began to decay rapidly. The crew attempted to apply full power to the port engine to recover the airspeed, but the speed continued to drop to between 100 and 110 knots while the aircraft was at 2,700 feet.
As the pilot attempted to manage the descent rate, the airspeed decay, and the resulting asymmetry, a stall warning was activated. Shortly after, all communication with the tower was lost. An air traffic controller observed a dust cloud, indicating that the aircraft type had impacted the ground. The crash occurred approximately 1,175 meters from the threshold of runway 05, near a VOR/DME construction site.
Findings
- The crew was managing an asymmetric thrust condition following the intentional shutdown of the starboard engine.
- Rapid airspeed decay occurred during the final approach phase, leading to a stall warning and subsequent impact.