Associated Airlines crash…13 killed, Agagu’s son, 6 others survive

Thirteen people were killed and seven others injured when an Associated Airlines flight suffered engine failure and crashed near a fuel depot in Lagos yesterday.Among the survivors is Feyi Agagu, son of the late Ondo State Governor Olusegun Agagu, whose body the plane was conveying to Akure for burial.One of the dead was Mr. DejiFalae, […]

Thirteen people were killed and seven others injured when an Associated Airlines flight suffered engine failure and crashed near a fuel depot in Lagos yesterday.
Among the survivors is Feyi Agagu, son of the late Ondo State Governor Olusegun Agagu, whose body the plane was conveying to Akure for burial.
One of the dead was Mr. DejiFalae, the Ondo state commissioner of culture and tourism. He was the son of Chief Olu Falae.
The crashed charter plane with 20 people on board suffered engine failure shortly after takeoff from the Murtala Mohammed Airport, crash-landing and bursting into flames.
The aircraft, made by the Brazilian firm Embraer, took off at 9.30 am and was carrying 13 passengers along with seven crew members when one of its engines failed, officials said.
It narrowly missed aviation fuel containers belonging to Sahara Oil and crashed into the premises of Joint Users Hydrant Installation (JUHI), located between the international and domestic terminals.
“It was gathered that the aircraft lost one of its engines two minutes after takeoff and was about to return to base when it crashed,” said Capt. Mukhtar Usman, a commissioner of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).
Eleven bodies were recovered by fire fighters while eight people were rescued alive. One of them died on the way to hospital, Daily Trust learnt.
The 30-seater plane was carrying the remains of Agagu, who had been set for burial at the weekend. The gold-plated casket containing the remains of the late governor was recovered and driven out in an ambulance belonging to the Nigeria Air Force.
A list pasted on a wall at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital around 1pm named those injured as Feyi Agagu, Akintunde Taiwo, Akintunde Akeem, Akinsanya Femi and one other unnamed person. Two persons were brought in dead: Chijoke Duru and unknown male adult.
The aircraft manifest has not been officially released, but journalists were able to get the names of those on board. The passengers were Feyi Agagu, Femi Akinsanya, Akintunde Joseph, Akeem Akintunde, Tunji Okusanya, Chijioke Duru, Kingsley Amaechi, Deji Afolabi, Mrs. A.O. Alabi, Daji Bernard, Deji Falae, Samson Hassan and Olatunji Okusanya.
The crew members were Capt. Yakubu, flight officer Oyinlola, Engr. Soroh, flight dispatcher Ibrahim, Mr. Felix Latoya, cabin attendant Owolabi and cabin attendant Samson.
At the scene of the crash, security men who witnessed the incident said a man and a woman jumped out of the aircraft shortly after it crashed.
Charles Ogwezi, who worked in the premises of the crash, said:  “I saw a woman who tried to jump out but she got hooked on the fence and she died there. The fire outbreak consumed most of them, including one man who was almost out.”
He added: “The pilot is sound and I believe that he made a very sound judgment by making a u-turn after the aircraft developed fault. He targeted the airport but it was quite unfortunate that he crashed here.”
Another witness said: “We were in our office when we heard a loud bang…. Our initial thought was that there was an attack one of the tank but on getting outside, we were confronted with thick smoke beclouding the atmosphere.
“With my understanding the plane could have hardly spent three minutes in the sky when it crash-landed because it is still within the airport vicinity.”
Rasaq Idowu Fadipe, director of the Lagos State Fire Safety Management, said his men moved to the site of the crash immediately they were alerted.
“We got the fire alarm information about 0930 hours this morning and we quickly moved in with three fire trucks from Alausa, Ikeja and Isolo, with each carrying 10,000 litres of water. And when we came in, we extinguished the fire
and recovered 11 dead bodies.  We rescued nine survivors, four critical while five sustained minor injuries,” Fadipe said.
Yesterday’s accident came more than a year after the Dana Air crash that killed all the 153 people on board, along with several others on the ground in Lagos on June 3, 2012.
Although Nigeria’s air safety record has improved in recent years, the country has a history of major passenger plane crashes. Dana crash was the deadliest since 1992 when an air force plane crashed and killed 200 on board.
In 2006, an ADC airliner crashed soon after takeoff in Abuja, killing nearly a hundred people including the Sultan of Sokoto Muhammadu Maccido.
In its reaction to the crash, the Federal Government said yesterday the nation’s airspace remained safe and secure.
Aviation minister Stella Adaeze Oduah said in a statement: “This morning at 0932 hours, Local Time, an Embraer 120 aircraft, with registration number 5N-BIT operated by Associated Airlines on a private charter flight from Lagos to Akure, crashed shortly after take-off from the Domestic Wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport.
“The Control Tower immediately activated the Crash Alarm of the airport as the first step of the Emergency Response Procedure. The First Responders immediately proceeded to the crash site. The FAAN Fire Service Department, ambulances and other relevant emergency apparatus successfully extinguished the fire within 2 minutes despite the surging crowd.
“The 6 survivors were promptly transported to the hospital and are receiving appropriate medical care. Rescue Coordination and Trauma Centers have been set up at the Annex of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to provide necessary information and support. The Authorities are contacting families of
the victims of this unfortunate incident, and upon completion, will make information about the identities of the victims public.”
In his reaction, President Goodluck Jonathan ordered all relevant agencies to carry out a thorough investigation into the plane crash.
Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati, in a statement in Abuja, said Jonathan received the news of the crash with great shock and sadness. He said the president ordered that the crash be investigated to determine its cause for further necessary action. Abati said the president viewed the plane crash as most unfortunate and regrettable, given the government’s effort towards enhancing aviation safety in the country.
Lone functional plane
Associated Airlines has gone nearly dormant since last year, as it stopped operating scheduled flights and had only one functioning aircraft which crashed yesterday, aviation sources said.
Industry watchers doubt the integrity of the ill-fated aircraft even though the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) confirmed it was healthy enough to fly with sufficient type-rated engineers, quality maintenance and insurance.
The airline is based in Lagos, and was established in 1996, operating passenger and cargo services within Nigeria and in West Africa.
After the Dana crash on June 3, 2012, the NCAA began another recertification of all airlines in the country, and this forced Associated to stop scheduled operations and since then it had been operating only charter operations. Before it stopped scheduled services, the airline was flying Abuja, Gombe, Benin, Calabar, Ibadan, Jeddah, Lagos and Makurdi routes.
The airline’s management later yesterday issued a statement in which it sympathised with the victims of the crash.
“With deep regret and with all submission to the will of the Almighty God, we wish to confirm the unfortunate accident of one of our Aircraft, an Embraer 120 with registration number 5NBJY. The aircraft was on charter to Akure on Thursday.
“We are currently co-operating fully with the aviation regulatory authorities with the view to establishing the remote and other causes of this most regrettable and unfortunate accident.
“Our prayers go out to the affected families of the departed, we pray for their souls to rest in peace while we continue to pray and wish for the speedy recovery of the injured.
“We shall continue to provide information on this accident firstly to all affected families out of respect to them as we receive it.”