Incident Overview

Description
ADC Airlines flight 053, a Boeing 737-200, crashed during a windshear encounter shortly after takeoff from Abuja Airport, Nigeria, killing 96 occupants; 9 survived the accident. Flight 53 departed Lagos (LOS) on a scheduled domestic flight to Sokoto (SKO) with an intermediate stop at Abuja (ABV). At Abuja at 11:14 local time, the crew of the aircraft requested start-up clearance. This was given along with the prevailing weather information. At 11:21, the crew requested clearance to taxi to the holding point and a wind check; both were given. Over the following six minutes Abuja Tower gave a series of six wind reports, including a statement emphasizing the gusty nature of the wind. A thunderstorm was approaching the airport and weather was worsening. At 11:26, the crew of flight 53 requested clearance for immediate takeoff, and the controller re-emphasized the deteriorating weather condition and gave latest wind check, which they acknowledged. Immediately after takeoff from runway 22, the Boeing 737 entered into a headwind -shift to-tailwind windshear, which significantly affected the aerodynamic performance of the airplane. The Pilot Flying responded to the windshear by adding a small amount of power and by pulling back on the control column causing a significant pitch attitude change. The Pilot-not-flying responded to the windshear by calling for the Pilot Flying to pull up. The airplane then entered into a full aerodynamic stall followed by a roll to the left of over 90 degrees and steep descent into the ground. The aircraft was pitched to an attitude that resulted in the temporary disruption of airflow to and momentary loss of power in both engines. The airplane broke up and caught fire in a corn field. CAUSAL FACTOR: The pilot’s decision to take-off in known adverse weather conditions and failure to execute the proper windshear recovery procedure resulted in operating the aircraft outside the safe flight regime, causing the aircraft to stall very close to the ground from which recovery was not possible. CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS: (1) Inability of the flight crew to apply windshear recovery procedures and the use of inappropriate equipment for windshear recovery procedure during simulator recurrrecncy. Lack of company Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for flight operations in adverse weather conditions. (2) The coordination of responsibilities between the pilot-flying (PF) and pilot not flying(PNF) during their encounter with adverse weather situation was inconsistent with Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the duties of the pilot-flying (PF) and pilot not flying (PNF) resulting in the inadequate control of the aircraft.
Source of Information
http://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/B732,_vicinity_Abuja_Nigeria,_2006_(LOC_HF_WX_FIRE)http://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/B732,_vicinity_Abuja_Nigeria,_2006_(LOC_HF_WX_FIRE)Primary Cause
Inadequate windshear recovery procedures, pilot error, and a failure to apply appropriate control during the windshear encounter exacerbated the situation. The pilot’s decision to take off in known adverse weather conditions without proper recovery procedures significantly increased the risk of a catastrophic outcome.Inadequate windshear recovery procedures, pilot error, and a failure to apply appropriate control during the windshear encounter exacerbated the situation. The pilot’s decision to take off in known adverse weather conditions without proper recovery procedures significantly increased the risk of a catastrophic outcome.Share on: