The airplane was on the fourth flight segment of the day, consisting of
two round-trips between Lagos and Abuja. The accident occurred during
the return leg of the second trip. DAN 992 was on final approach for
runway 18R at LOS when the crew reported the total loss of power.
According to interviews, the flight arrived in ABV as Dana Air flight
993 about 1350. According to Dana Air ground personnel, routine
turn-around activities occurred, including refueling of the airplane.
DAN 992 initiated engine startup at 1436, taxied to the runway and was
later airborne at 1458 after the flight had reported that it had a
fuel endurance of 3.5 hours. Shortly after takeoff, DAN 992 reported
1545 as the estimated time of arrival at LOS as the flight climbed to a
cruise altitude of 26,000 ft[2]. DAN0992 made contact with Lagos Area
Control Center at 1518 hours.
The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) retained about 31 minutes of the
flight and starts about 1515 at which time the captain and first
officer were in a discussion of a non-normal condition regarding the
correlation between the engine throttle setting and an engine power
indication[3]. However, they did not voice concerns then that the
condition would affect the continuation of the flight. The flight crew
continued to monitor the condition and became increasingly concerned
as the flight transition through the initial descent from cruise
altitude at 1522 and the subsequent approach phase.
DAN 992 reported passing through 18,100 and 7,700 ft, respectively, at
1530 and 1540 hours. After receiving a series of heading and altitude
assignments from the controller, DAN 992 was issued the final heading to
intercept the final approach course for runway 18R.
During the period of 1537 and 15:41 the flight crew engaged in
pre-landing tasks including deployment of the slats, and extension of
the flaps and landing gear. At 15:41:16 the first officer (FO)
inquired, "both engines coming up?" and the captain (Capt) replied
“negative.” The flight crew subsequently discussed and agreed to
declare an emergency. At 1542:10, DANA 992 radioed an emergency
distress call indicating "dual engine failure . . . negative response
from throttle."
At 1542:35, the flight crew lowered the flaps further and continued
with the approach and discussed landing alternatively on runway 18L.
At 1542:45, the Capt reported the runway in sight and instructed the FO
to raise the flaps up and 4 seconds later to raise the landing gear.
At 1543:27 hours, the Capt informed the FO "we just lost everything, we
lost an engine. I lost both engines". During the next 25 seconds
until the end of the CVR recording, the flight crew was attempting to
restart the engines.
The airplane crashed in a residential area about 5.8 miles north of
LOS. The airplane wreckage was on approximately the extended centerline
of runway 18R. During the impact sequence, the airplane struck an
incomplete building, two trees and three buildings. The wreckage was
confined, with the separated tail section and engines located at the
beginning of the debris field.
The airplane was mostly consumed by post crash fire. The tail section,
both engines and portions of both wings, representing only about 15% of
the airplane were recovered from the accident site for further
examination.
The two flight recorders, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the
flight data recorder (FDR) were analysed at the facilities of the
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Washington, D.C., USA.
The solid state based memory in the CVR was in good condition and
retained 31 minutes of audio information. The digital tape based
memory in the FDR succumbed to the post crash fire and melted,
consequently no data could be recovered.
The captain, age 55, held an airline transport pilot license with type
ratings in the A-320[4], DC-9, FK-28[5], and SF-340[6]. He had over
18,116 hours of total time, including 16,416 hours of pilot-in-command
time (PIC). The captain had 7,461 hours in the accident model airplane
all of which was as PIC. He was employed with Dana Air on 14 March
2012. He began flying line operations for the company in late May 2012
and had since accrued over 120 hours of flight time. The captain had
acquired about 3, 78, and 116 flight hours, respectively, in the
preceding 24 hours, 30 and 90 days.
The first officer, age 34, held a commercial pilot license he was type
rated in MD-83. He had 1,143 hours of total time, including about 200
hours as pilot-in-command. The first officer had 808 hours in the
accident model airplane all of which was second-in-command. He had been
previously employed with Dana Air as the Director of Cabin Service
before he was hired as a pilot about January 2011. The first officer
had accrued about 3, 42, and 154 flight hours, respectively, during the
preceding 24 hours, 30 and 90 days.
The airplane was manufactured in 1990 and according to maintenance
records it had accumulated 60,846 hours (35,219 cycles) of total
time. The left and right engines respectively had 54,322 (30,933
cycles) and 26,025 (12,466 cycles) hours of total time since new. A
review of the aircraft technical logs did not reveal of the previous 30
days did not indicate a condition. The airplane had last undergone
maintenance on 1st June 2012, and after a return to service flight on
2nd June 2012, it was operated on four revenue flights (two round trips
between LOS and ABV) and another four flights on 3rd June 2012.
Fueling records indicated the airplane was uplifted with 8000 lbs of
fuel before departure from ABV. The flight crew reported to ATC they
had 26,000 lbs of total fuel. Preliminary analysis of fuel samples
from the refueling truck and the supply tank at ABV were negative for
contamination.
The investigative activities have included, in part, visual examination
of the aircraft wreckage, review of maintenance records and other
historical information of the aircraft, documentation of the training
and experience of the flight crew, determination the chronology of the
flight, review of recorded data, reconstructing the aircraft refueling,
and collection of related fuel samples, and interviews of relevant
personnel.
Future investigative activities will include, but is not limited to,
the detailed examination of the engines, further testing of fuel
samples, continued factual gathering of relevant historical,
operational, maintenance and performance information of the accident
airplane in addition to other similar airplane models, further
development of the background of the flightcrew, further analysis of the
CVR audio recording and review of pertinent issues associated with
regulatory oversight.
As the State of Occurrence, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has
instituted an investigation in accordance with the standards and
recommendations specified in the provisions of Annex 13 of the
International Civil Aviation Organization. As the State of manufacture
of the airplane and engine, a US Accredited Representative has been
appointed and assisted by US technical advisors from the NTSB, US
Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing Airplane Company, and Pratt
& Whitney Engines.
In accordance with Annex 13,
"the sole objective of the
investigation of an accident or incident shall be the prevention of
accidents and incidents. It is not for the purpose of this activity to
apportion blame or liability."
Accordingly, the AIB with the participation of the parties, including
the NCAA, will seek to identify any areas of safety concerns during the
investigation and implement the appropriate actions for correction or
improvement.
The content of this report is based on preliminary information. The
Bureau will continue to conduct the investigation in a meticulous and
methodical manner and release facts as they become validated.
SIGNED
CAPT M.S.USMAN,
COMMISSIONER/CEO, AIB
[1] All times are based on local time based on the 24-hour clock
[2] All altitudes are based on mean sea level.
[3] Flight crew made reference to the engine pressure ratio gage.
[4] Airbus A-320
[5] Fokker F-28
[6] Saab SF-340, a twin-engine turboprop airlaine
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