EAS Airlines Flight 4226

Investigation

Nigerian authorities opened an investigation on the crash, with Aviation Minister Kema Chikwe instituting a panel to investigate it. The Nigerian federal upper legislative chambers began a public session on the same day of the crash, discussing it as part of the investigation. Managing Director of EAS Airlines, Idris Wada, insisted that the aircraft was still in good condition. He later added that Lloyds Insurance, insurers of the BAC 1-11-500 aircraft which was involved in the crash, has sent a representative from London to investigate the cause of the crash. According to him, the aircraft involved in the crash was fitted with the engine of a grounded EAS Airlines BAC 1-11 aircraft four days before the crash, which raised questions among the senate. He claimed that the practice was not uncommon among the aviation industry.

Prior to the fatal crash, the aircraft involved in the incident had been grounded on two previous occasions regarding engine performance issues.

Cause of failed takeoff

Due to the limited data, investigators had to rely on eyewitness statements and survivor accounts. According to the air traffic controller on duty that day, during the take-off roll, the aircraft was moving sluggishly and was not at the usual speed required for take-off. Following the runway excursion, the aircraft traveled for approximately 148 m before it finally took off from the ground. But before it managed to completely take off, the landing gear smashed onto a ground depression, which was used as a transformer pit for the approach lights. The impact kicked up large amounts of dust which were ingested by the engines, causing a reduction of thrust. The dust settled in the engine turbines between the crevices of the compressor casings. This resulted in the momentary degradation of the engine's ability to produce thrust. With the degraded performance of the engine, the aircraft could not gain altitude quickly enough.

The aircraft's poor performance at gaining altitude was worsened by the configuration of the aircraft. When it lifted off the ground, the landing gear was still in the extended position. The landing gear is normally retracted shortly after takeoff. The violent impacts created when the aircraft overran the runway could have created a startle response in the crew, causing them to fail to raise the gear. The landing gear down position would have diminished the aircraft's ability to climb adequately. The performance chart of the aircraft showed that with the landing gear lowered, the climb rate of the aircraft during takeoff would be reduced by up to 150 ft/min. Due to the low altitude of the aircraft, the inability to gain altitude, and the reduced performance of the aircraft, the aircraft ended up crashing into the ground.

Conclusion

The final report published by the AIPB attributed the crash to pilot error, primarily due to the crew failing to get the aircraft airborne due to a breakdown in communication and cockpit resource management and once airborne, thinking of ways to solve the problem. As a result of the accident, the AIPB recommended improvements related to supervision, stricter penalties for malpractices, as well as improvements related to aircraft flight recorders, in which the NCAA should not register an aircraft under Nigerian registration if an aircraft has not been fitted with a digital flight recorder. The NCAA also made sure that only operators who have the required spare parts are allowed to perform aircraft operations, primarily due to EAS Airlines' lax aircraft operating practices.