Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02ABUJA1429
2002-05-09 09:11:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Abuja
Cable title:  

NIGERIA: AIR ACCIDENT KILLS OVER 100 IN KANO

Tags:  EAIR CASC PREL NI 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001429 

SIPDIS


DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO FAA AND NTSB AND DOT
DOT FOR KEVIN SAMPLE AND B ALLEN
STATE ALSO FOR AF, AF/W, AF/PAS
NSC FOR AF DIRECTOR MICHAEL MILLER


E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2012
TAGS: EAIR CASC PREL NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: AIR ACCIDENT KILLS OVER 100 IN KANO


CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR HOWARD F. JETER; REASONS 1.5(B) AND
(D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001429

SIPDIS


DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO FAA AND NTSB AND DOT
DOT FOR KEVIN SAMPLE AND B ALLEN
STATE ALSO FOR AF, AF/W, AF/PAS
NSC FOR AF DIRECTOR MICHAEL MILLER


E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2012
TAGS: EAIR CASC PREL NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: AIR ACCIDENT KILLS OVER 100 IN KANO


CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR HOWARD F. JETER; REASONS 1.5(B) AND
(D)


1.(U) This report is being sent to give Washington the latest
information we have about the May 4 airplane crash in Kano.
According to our best information, all but two of the eighty
people aboard the plane died in the crash which occurred
shortly after the Lagos-bound EAS aircraft took off from
Kano's airport. The crash took place in a residential
neighborhood, and an estimated range of thirty to seventy
local residents were also killed. Because of the lack of
forensic expertise and local records, ascertaining the exact
number of deaths will be difficult.


2.(U) Among the victims are Minister of Sports I.M. Aku,
General N.T.H. Bozingha and the wife and son of influential
retired General Jerry Useni, former Minister for the Federal
Capital Territory under Sani Abacha. The brother of the
Embassy's FSN Political Assistant Mukhtari Shitu was also one
of the victims, therefore the tragedy of the crash struck
close to home for all Mission personnel, both Americans and
FSNs alike. There apparently were no AMCITS on board the
flight, though the possibility cannot yet be totally ruled
out. The EAS passenger manifest, which lists victims and
survivors only by the first initial and surname, contains
possible hits on our American Citizen Services Warden
database. We continue to check to ensure none of these
victims were United States Citizens. Two Frenchmen were
confirmed killed in the crash. Bodies of victims who could
not be identified were buried in a mass grave in Kano on May

7.


3.(C) This crash highlights the precarious state of many of
Nigeria's domestic airlines. The use of old, poorly
maintained craft, heightens the danger of a fatal accident.
This crash has increased the already high degree of wariness
of the expatriate community about domestic air travel in
Nigeria.


4.(U) The crash occurred approximately three minutes after
takeoff from Kano Airport at about 1:30 p.m., Saturday May 4.
The aircraft originated in Lagos, flew to Jos, made a stop

in Kano with a return flight to Lagos. The plane went down in
the residential area of Gwamaja, destroying many residences,
two schools, and reportedly two small neighborhood mosques.



5. (C) President Obasanjo cut short a trip to Southern Africa
to respond to the emergency. He visited the site Monday
morning and then prayed with the Emir of Kano for the repose
of the souls of the dead. He declared a two-day period of
national mourning and committed N10,000,000 ($870,000) in
relief assistance to the victims. (Comment: President
Obasanjo seems to have learned a public relations lesson
after the Ijeka Cantonment explosions in late January. Then,
Obasanjo was accused of being callous and insensitive to
victims and their families after the explosions claimed over
1,000 lives. This time, Obasanjo responded quickly to the
disaster, with both words of condolence and aid to the
victims. Several of his supporters, especially the Governor
of Bauchi State, urged him to do so. Although some still
complain that his visit to the crash site was too short, that
he neglected to meet with the victim's families, and that the
relief funds were too meager, Obasanjo's response showed
greater human and political sensitivities than he did four
months ago. End Comment.)



6. (U) Theories about the cause of the crash abound. EAS is
reported by the media as notorious for its aged fleet, poor
maintenance record, and financial difficulties. Although no
report specifically mentions the age of the crashed
BAC1-11-500 jet, there is speculation that the plane was
nearly thirty years old. Moreover, the Subcommittee Chairman
of the House of Representatives Committee on the Nigeria
Civil Aviation Authority, Ned Nwoko, has hinted of a law
already in the works which would make it compulsory for
aircraft older than 25 to be grounded. The Ministry of
Aviation had proposed a ban on aircraft over 22 years, but at
the time of the accident it was being contested by the
Private Airline Association. If this law were already on the
books the plane would have been offline and the tragedy
averted. (The modus operandi of many Nigerian airlines is to
purchase, at relatively low costs, aged planes deemed too old
and taken offline by carriers in other countries. Further
cost-cutting measures by some carriers include using
reconditioned rather than new parts when carrying out
repairs.)



7. (C) EAS management publicly contend the aircraft was in
perfect mechanical order before the flight, but other
reports claimed the same aircraft was involved in a near
accident only a week ago during the same flight. The
National Chairman of the Alliance For Democracy political
party told PolCouns that he was told by a local official in
Kano that the pilot who flew the plane from Jos to Kano
refused to fly the aircraft to Lagos because of its
condition. The AD chairman said that EAS had to find a
willing pilot at the last minute.



8. (U) There are reports that the crash was caused when a
wing fell off the plane; other reports claim that there was
an engine explosion. Still other reports blamed the runway,
claiming that the main runway is under repair and the one
used Saturday was too short. One "black box" has been found,
while the other is still missing. The government has grounded
all BAC1-11-500 aircraft in Nigeria and has promised a full
investigation. In a conversation with Ambassador, the
Minister of Aviation has asked for technical assistance to
help establish a program to investigate the crash as as well
as help it establish better criteria for purchasing and
maintaining commercial aircraft (septel).



9. (C) While the crash has shaken many people and caused them
to lament the state of the domestic airlines, some Nigerians
feel stung by the international media attention the crash has
generated. During a May 7 meeting with the Ambassador,
Foreign Minister Lamido stated that CNN and BBC were overly
critical, making it appear that Nigerians and the GON were
totally irresponsible. He remarked that airplane crashes
were inevitable in any country if enough flights were
attempted but CNN and the BBC were trying to make Nigerian
skies look especially dangerous. Yet, almost in the same
breath, Lamido castigated the domestic air carriers and
admitted trepidation when flying on some domestic airlines.



10. (C) This air crash is the latest event in a string of
tragedies that have befallen Nigeria in the past eight
months. Because of the nature of this particular tragedy
everyone has had to sheathe their political swords, if only
for the moment. There will be collective mourning and the
grief will be genuine. There will be calls for reform and
these calls will be sincere as well. The Ambassador received
an urgent appeal from the Nigerian Minister of Aviation Kemi
Chikwe for assistance to investigate the crash and to help
Nigeria get a better handle on its domestic airlines
(septel). We have long maintained that most domestic
commercial airlines in Nigeria are unsafe. A thorough
investigation into aircraft procurement and maintenance
practices is long overdue. However, there is danger that this
somber moment will recede and that business as usual will
resume unless momentum to launch a serious investigation is
maintained. Our positive response to the Aviation Minister's
reuest could help sustain that moment. It would be a compund
tragedy if this crash crash does not compel greater airline
safety.
JETER