The Dana Plane That Crashed Had History of Mechanical Problems

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The Dana Air MC Donnell Douglas MD 83, which crashed in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos, on Sunday, has had a history of mechanical problems even before original owners, US-based Alaska Airlines, sold it to Dana Airlines on February 17, 2009.

The Aviation Safety Network, an exclusive service of the Air Safety Foundation (ASF), in a statement on Monday, revealed that the ill-fated aircraft was acquired by Alaska Airline in November 13, 1990.

Twelve years later, on November 4, 2002, the aircraft developed mechanical faults and had an emergency diversion due to smoke in the cabin area, which engineers said was because light ballast had over heated.
On August 20, 2006, passengers had to be evacuated after landing at Long Beach, California, due to a chaffed wire bundle that discharged and produced smoke in the cabin area again. Subsequently, Alaska Airlines, on August 21, parked the aircraft until September 11 2008 when it carried out maintenance work on it. Five months after repairs where concluded, on February 2009, Alaska Airlines sold the aircraft, as 5N-RAM, to Dana Airlines.

See, Nigeria is a dumping ground. Americans reject the plane, Indians buy it and bring it to Nigeria, playing with people's lives. Hope some people are arrested for this. Continue reading...


This year, unconfirmed sources at the airline have revealed that the plane has experienced minor faults twice.
On May 23, after passengers had boarded the aircraft, it was allegedly delayed from take-off at the Lagos airport as mechanics discovered some faults and changed the hydraulic fluid under the left side under carriage tyre mechanism.

When Dana Airlines was contacted for their reaction, an official of the carrier, who did not want his name published, said that an official statement would be issued by the company.

The MD-83 was manufactured in 1983, announced go-ahead on January 31, 1983 and had first flight on December 17, 1984. It was a longer range development of the basic MD-81/82 with higher weights, more powerful engines, increased fuel capacity and longer range.  It was equipped with slightly more powerful 21,000 1bf Pratt and Whitney JT8D-219s as standard.

The aircraft also had higher operating weights with MTOW increased to 160,000 1b and MLW to 139,500 1b. Typical range for the MD-83 with 155 passengers in around 2,504 nautical miles (4,637km).

Timeline of fatal plane crashes in Nigeria
November 20, 1969 – Nigeria Airways BAC VC10 crashes on landing in Lagos, killing 87 on board.
January 22, 1973 – Royal Jordanian Airlines Flight 707 crashed in Kano. All 171 Nigerians returning from Mecca and 5 crew members died.
March 1, 1978 – Nigeria Airways F28-1000 crashes in Kano, killing 16.
November 28, 1983 – Nigeria Airways F28-1000 crashes on approach in Enugu, killing 53 on board.
July 11, 1991 – Nigeria Airways DC-8-61 crashes in Jeddah, killing 261 on board.
September 26, 1992 – Nigerian Air Force A C-130 plane crashes minutes after take-off from Lagos, killing 200 on board.
June 24, 1995 – Harka Air Services Tupolev 34 crashes on landing in Lagos, killing 16.
November 13, 1995 – Nigeria Airways Boeing 737-2F9 crashes on landing in Kaduna, killing 9.
November 7, 1996 – A Nigerian ADC Airline Boeing 727-231, flying from Port Harcourt to Lagos with 142 passengers and 9 crew members crashed on landing, plunging into a lagoon with all on board killed.
January 31, 1997 – SkyPower Express Airways Embraer 110PIA crashes on landing in Yola, killing 5.
January 5, 2000 – SkyPower Express Airways Bandeirante 110P1A crashes on landing in Abuja, killing 17.
May 4, 2002 – Nigerian EAS Airlines’ BAC 1-11-500, with 105 people on board, crashed and burst into flames in a densely populated suburb of Kano. 76 on board killed, including 72 on the ground bringing it to a total 148 dead.
October 22, 2005 – A Nigerian Bellview Airlines Boeing 737 airliner, with 117 people on board, crashes and disintegrates in flames shortly after take-off from Lagos. All on board were killed.
December 10, 2005 – A Nigerian Sosoliso Airlines DC-9 crashes in Port Harcourt, killing all 103 on board. Most of the victims were schoolchildren going home for Christmas.
September. 17, 2006 – A Nigerian 18-seater Dornier 228 Air Force transport plane, carrying 15 senior army officers and three crew members, crashed in Benue leaving only three survivors that sustained serious injuries.
October 29, 2006 – A Nigerian ADC Airline Boeing, 737 with 104 on board, crashes minutes after take-off from Abuja’s airport during a rain storm. All but 6 perished in the disaster.

Culled from Daily Times