What happened
On 11 August 2001, a Cessna 208B, registered as ZS-NUX, was conducting an international ferry flight from Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire, to Lagos, Nigeria. The aircraft was carrying two pilots and a maintenance engineer. While cruising at 7,000 feet, the crew experienced a loud bang followed by a significant loss of engine power. Despite attempts to restart the engine during the descent, the failure persisted.
As the crew searched for a landing site under overcast conditions with a low cloud base, they identified a dirt road. However, the presence of power lines crossing the road perpendicularly to their approach path necessitated an alternative site. The crew ultimately selected an open area located roughly 30 meters to the left of the road. During the landing roll, the aircraft's nose wheel struck a rock, causing the assembly to break away from the fuselage. This impact caused the nose and propeller to dig into the ground, forcing the aircraft into an inverted position. There were zero fatalities in the accident, though both pilots suffered facial lacerations, while the passenger escaped without injury.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the mechanical failure of the engine and the circumstances of the forced landing. The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading from the initial engine bang to the structural failure of the landing gear upon impact with the terrain.