1994 Oriental Airlines BAC One-Eleven crash

On 18 September 1994, an Oriental Airlines BAC One-Eleven (registration 5N-IMO) crashed during an attempted landing at Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport in Tamanrasset, Algeria. The crash resulted in five fatalities—two passengers and three crew members. The charter flight, traveling from Tunis, Tunisia, to Lagos, Nigeria, was arranged to return the Nigerian football team Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland FC) following an away match against Espérance.

Flight and crash

At the time of the accident, Tamanrasset, Algeria, was experiencing poor visibility due to early morning dust haze. The return flight to Nigeria had already been delayed by over three hours owing to disputes over fuel costs. Limited fuel and adverse weather conditions forced the pilots to divert to Tamanrasset. Three landing attempts were aborted as the captain was unable to establish visual contact with the runway.

During the fourth landing attempt, 83 minutes after the initial approach, the aircraft was not aligned with either runway and landed in an unstable configuration. Upon touchdown, it began to break apart, colliding with a light pole and a building before coming to rest off the runway. Survivor Anthony Nwaigwe recounted that the aircraft broke into three sections, enabling some passengers to escape. The crash resulted in the deaths of two passengers and three crew members, while many of the 34 other occupants sustained injuries.