Region

Crash of a BAe 146-300 in Tamale

Date & Time: Oct 6, 2015 at 0831 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
9G-SBB
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Accra – Tamale
MSN:
E.3123
YOM:
1989
Flight number:
IKM110
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
71
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After landing on runway 23 at Tamale Airport, the four engine aircraft failed to stop within the remaining distance. It went through a fence that was delimiting a work area as the runway was subject to an extension. Upon impact, the nose gear was torn off and the aircraft slid for few dozen metres before coming to rest. All 76 occupants escaped uninjured but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. It was specified in a NOTAM that the runway 23 length was reduced to 1,860 meters and that works were in progress to extend runway 23, with the presence of men and equipment. So, caution was advised during landing and takeoff procedures.

Crash of a Boeing 737-43Q in Accra

Date & Time: Jan 10, 2015 at 1105 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ET-AQV
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Lomé – Accra
MSN:
28493/2838
YOM:
1996
Flight number:
KP4030
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful cargo flight from Lomé, the crew initiated the approach to Accra-Kotoka Airport. The visibility was reduced due to foggy conditions. After touchdown on runway 03, the aircraft became uncontrollable and veered off runway to the right. While contacting soft ground, it lost its undercarriage and its right engine before coming to rest in a grassy area. All three crew crew members escaped with minor injuries and the aircraft was destroyed.

Crash of a Boeing 727-221F in Accra: 10 killed

Date & Time: Jun 2, 2012 at 1910 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5N-BJN
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Lagos - Accra
MSN:
22540/1796
YOM:
1982
Flight number:
DHC111
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Captain / Total flying hours:
14000
Captain / Total hours on type:
1464.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
22463
Copilot / Total hours on type:
4180
Aircraft flight hours:
40251
Aircraft flight cycles:
25380
Circumstances:
On 2nd June, 2012 at 1828hrs Allied Air Ltd Flight DHV 111, a Boeing 727-221 Cargo aircraft, Registration: 5N-BJN, departed Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos-Nigeria to Kotoka International Airport, estimating Accra, Ghana at 1904hrs, en-route to Abidjan. While taxiing for take-off, the Flight Engineer observed that the CSD amber light (caution) had illuminated on the panel. With the Captain’s permission, it was disconnected. The flight was cleared Flight Level 240 and to maintain by Accra Area Control on 130.9MHz. The Flight was operating under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) conditions and the flight was turbulent, the aircraft was cruising at a speed of 280kts which is the recommended turbulence speed. On the descent into Accra, the aircraft was cleared by Accra Approach on 119.5MHz initially to Flight Level 50 and later cleared to 2000ft. It was again instructed to climb to 3000ft due to high ground. On arrival at Accra, the Captain flew an Instrument Landing System (ILS) coupled approach, until he saw the runway. He then disconnected the autopilot at 500ft and manually flew the aircraft. After disconnecting the auto-pilot, he came into heavy IMC conditions in rain. The aircraft experienced an unstable approach at a high speed of 167kts and landed with a wind of 050/15kts at 154 kts and about 5807 ft from Runway 21 in nil visibility. The crew deployed thrust reversers and applied the normal brakes as well as the emergency pneumatic brakes but these actions were ineffective to stop the aircraft. Normally deploying the thrust reversers or applying the brakes would bring the nose wheel down. However, the nose gear was kept up. The speed brakes were not deployed. The crew reported seeing red lights rushing towards them soon after the main wheels touched the ground for the landing run. The aircraft nose gear never touched the ground until the aircraft went over the fence wall. A Lufthansa Flight DLH 566 operated on behalf of Lufthansa (LH) by Private Air which had landed earlier at 1902hrs reported a wind of 050/15kts and visibility of 3800m in rain. From the 2nd intersection where DLH 566 had stopped, ready to backtrack Runway 21, the crew observed Allied Air appeared to have landed at very high speed when the aircraft went past and could not determine whether the aircraft was taking off. A Lufthansa ground engineer who was waiting at the intersection to receive DLH 566 indicated the approximate touchdown point of DHV 111. Both the controller at the Tower and the Marshaller in the “follow me” vehicle waiting at the 1st Intersection saw Allied Air land between the 1st and 2nd intersections. The FDR indicated that the aircraft landed 4000 ft to the end of Runway 21. The full length of Runway 21 is 3403 m (11,162ft for take-off) but available for landing is 2990 m (9,807 ft). The FDR readout showed that the aircraft landed at 150 kts, and at 1.6 G, 5807 ft from the beginning of Runway 21 and 4000ft from the threshold of the Runway 03. The runway surface condition for braking as described by DLH crew was good. Shortly after Turkish Airline (THY 629) had landed, DLH 566 also landed followed by DHV 111. The aircraft over-run the runway and destroyed the Threshold Lights and the Approach lights on Runway 03. It knocked out the ILS Localizer transmitter structure and mounts, broke through the airport perimeter wall. The aircraft crossed Giffard Road, collided with a passenger mini bus killing all ten (10) persons on board. It uprooted a tree by the road side before finally coming to a stop at an open space near El-Wak Sport Stadium. The Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) was triggered by the impact. The right side of a taxi cab on the road was grazed by flying debris from the localizer transmitter structures carried along by the right wing of the aircraft. The leading edge of the wing was extensively damaged. The aircraft came to a rest outside the airport perimeter wall 1171 ft (350m) from the Threshold of Runway 03, heading 215° southwest, coordinates 05 35 13.67N 000o 10 29.20W. The four (4) crew members sustained minor injuries. The aircraft and the mini bus were all destroyed. At 1910hrs, RFFS was alerted by the Tower Controller through the crash alarm bell. It took 9 minutes for the firemen to get to the crash site. The Airport was closed for 45minutes during which runway inspection was carried out. No pool of water was found anywhere on the runway. Approximately one hour after the aircraft had over-run the runway, the Airport was re-opened to traffic. Other airlines including KLM and British Airways, landed. Even though the Technical Log Book had no records of deferred defect, the Captain in an interview said the windshield wipers where switched on during the landing phase but were unable to clear the rain. It was observed during the investigation that the windshield wipers were rather ¾ switched on.
Probable cause:
The probable causes of the accident were:
The decision of the Captain to continue with the landing instead of aborting at the missed approach point especially when he could hardly see through the windshield and when he did not know how far he had gone down the runway because of the rain and the tail wind components.
Contributory factors:
a. The Captain disconnected the auto-pilot and flew the aircraft manually in an unstable approach.
b. The Captain landed the aircraft at 4000ft to the threshold of Runway 03, 6060ft from Runway 21. He could not stop within the available distance.
c. The Captain chose to land with a tailwind of 050/15Kts in excess of maximum allowable tailwind of 10Kts.
d. The crew concentrated on tracking the Localizer rather than watching for threshold and runway edge lights. They suffered from fixation.
e. The Captain did not deploy speed brakes on landing.
Final Report:

Crash of a Fokker F27 Friendship 600 in Accra: 7 killed

Date & Time: Jun 5, 2000 at 1135 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
G524
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Tamale - Accra
MSN:
10535
YOM:
1976
Flight number:
GH200
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
44
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing a schedule service (flight GH200) from Tamale to Accra on behalf of the Ghana Air Force. On final approach to Accra-kotoka Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with limited visibility due to heavy rain falls. In a nose down attitude, the aircraft landed hard on runway 21, nose first. Upon impact, the aircraft broke in two and came to rest. Seven passengers were killed while several others were injured, some seriously.

Crash of a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain in Accra

Date & Time: Dec 12, 1998
Operator:
Registration:
9G-BCM
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
31-7652023
YOM:
1976
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances 13 km from Accra-Kotoka Airport. All five occupants were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Britten-Norman BN-2A-26 Islander in Accra

Date & Time: Dec 13, 1985
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
TN-AEQ
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
2147
YOM:
1983
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed on landing for unknown reasons. There were no casualties.

Ground explosion of a Boeing 707-336C in Accra

Date & Time: Sep 25, 1983
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
5N-ARO
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Lagos - Accra
MSN:
18924
YOM:
1965
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Following a normal landing at Accra-Kotoka Airport, the crew vacated the runway and the aircraft was taxiing to his parking position when an explosion occurred. The aircraft caught fire and was stopped on the taxiway. All four crew members escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was partially destroyed.
Probable cause:
An incendiary device with a slow burning fuse was found in the cargo compartment.

Crash of a Fokker F28 Fellowship 2000 in Accra

Date & Time: Mar 11, 1981
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
9G-ACA
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Accra - Accra
MSN:
11077
YOM:
1973
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
7067
Aircraft flight cycles:
12677
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a local training at Accra-Kotoka Airport. For unknown reasons, the airplane landed hard and upon touchdown, the undercarriage were torn off. The airplane then slid on its belly before coming to rest on runway. While both pilots were uninjured, the F28 was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain near Takoradi: 4 killed

Date & Time: Nov 13, 1978
Operator:
Registration:
TR-LTQ
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
MSN:
31-7405480
YOM:
1974
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The twin engine airplane departed Port Gentil, Gabon, on a charter flight to the Ivory Coast, carrying three passengers and a pilot. En route, it crashed in unknown circumstances in a wooded area located west of Takoradi, near the border between Ghana and Ivory Coast. All four occupants were killed.

Crash of an Avro 748-2A-254 in Accra

Date & Time: Jan 22, 1971
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
9G-ABW
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Accra - Accra
MSN:
1685
YOM:
1970
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Three pilots were engaged in a local training flight at Accra-Kotoka Airport. On final approach, at an altitude of 150 feet, the left engine was voluntarily shut down to simulate a failure when control was lost. The airplane banked left, struck trees and crashed few hundred yards short of runway. All three crew members were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Loss of control after the left propelle was not feathered but the blades moved to fine pitch. It was determined that the pilot failed to place the left High Pressure cock lever in the full off position.