Lagos Airport Aircraft Overrun and Fire (RA-65617)

Approach and Overrun Event The aircraft completed an uneventful flight from Kaduna before beginning an approach to Lagos-Murtala Muhammed Airport in poor weather, including heavy rain and strong winds. During short final, the wind shifted to a stronger tail component, causing the aircraft to land approximately 1,000 metres past the runway threshold. ## Runway Excursion and Fire On the wet runway surface, the aircraft was unable to stop within the remaining distance. It overran the runway, struck the concrete structure of a drainage ditch, and came to rest 147 metres further, where it burst into flames. The aircraft was destroyed. ## Casualties and Rescue Sixty-five people were rescued, while 15 passengers were killed. ## Official Contributing Factors The official findings identified several factors: poor-quality meteorological support at Lagos airport, which left the crew without reliable information on actual wind direction and force during approach and landing; a layer of water on the runway that was not communicated to the crew, leading to aquaplaning and reduced braking efficiency; the crew's failure to initiate a go-around after encountering poor weather during the final approach and an erroneous estimate of the remaining runway length for a safe landing in heavy rain; cabin crew violations regarding the number and placement of flight attendants at landing, which allowed 15 passengers to enter the rear trunk and toilets unnoticed after the crash and die in the fire; and unsatisfactory organization of rescue operations at Lagos Airport.