Plane crash in Nigeria

[Evan]

Ok guys. You and Evan know something that I don't. Please share.

I suppose it's possible... you were pointing out a list of possibilities. It would be a very freak thing. I'm betting on birds though. Shitting down the wrong engine wouldn't exactly surprise me either.

[ErwinS]

Ok guys. You and Evan know something that I don't. Please share.

Well look only at the general layout of the engines on a MD-80 srs. If you have an uncontained engine failure how would that reach the other engine with the fuselage in between? Surely the fan or compressor blades wouldn't go through the fuselage and enter the other engine.

http://www.airdisaster.com/photos/dl1288/photo.shtml

Uncontained engien failure on a MD. True shrapnhel entered the cabin but not the other engine.

[Gabriel]

Off course not. Really no way that one engine could take out the other on a Mad Dog.

Ok guys. You and Evan know something that I don't. Please share.

[ErwinS]

Really? Contagious engine failure on an MD-80?

Off course not. Really no way that one engine could take out the other on a Mad Dog.

Latest rumours are about bird remains found in one engine.

[Gabriel]

A man known as David Chukwunonso Allison has filed a 56-page lawsuit against Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Pratt & Whitney and United Technologies. Apparently the MD-80 was unsafe all along. And this after decades of reliable service. It was only a matter of time before both engines would fail due to it being poorly designed. Who knew.

Also targeted in the suit is the estate of the deceased pilot. David Chukwunonso Allison sounds like a classy guy.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/07/wo...html?hpt=hp_t3

Let me guess.
- The suit is just for liability, not crimininal.
- He didn't target the Airline or the Nigerian regulator. What could him get from them anyway?

[Gabriel]

Really? Contagious engine failure on an MD-80?

Why not? Believe me the fuselage will not do much to stop it.

[Evan]

A man known as David Chukwunonso Allison has filed a 56-page lawsuit against Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Pratt & Whitney and United Technologies. Apparently the MD-80 was unsafe all along. And this after decades of reliable service. It was only a matter of time before both engines would fail due to it being poorly designed. Who knew.

Also targeted in the suit is the estate of the deceased pilot. David Chukwunonso Allison sounds like a classy guy.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/07/world/africa/nigeria-plane-crash-lawsuit/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

[Gabriel]

Add poor maintenance - remember the L1011 where all three engines shut down because o-rings were not replaced in the engine. This and other examples here:
http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aer...ly/m02txt.html

Point taken.

Not very likely though. I'd expect problems to develop earlier during the flight and the failures not happening at the same time or very close together.

Yet, whatever killed this plane it had to be an unlikely thing.

Extreme hail or water ingestion would be another possible (not probable) cause.

And as we are with the unlikely thing, let's not discard two fully independent engine failures. It would be an all-times first.

[Evan]

- Uncontained failure of one engine with the shrapnel affecting the other engine

Really? Contagious engine failure on an MD-80?

[Highkeas]

Assorted speculations taking as fact that the crew radioed a dual engine problem:....................................

Add poor maintenance - remember the L1011 where all three engines shut down because o-rings were not replaced in the engine. This and other examples here:

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_05/textonly/m02txt.html

[Gabriel]

Assorted speculations taking as fact that the crew radioed a dual engine problem:

- Fuel exhaustion (unlikely due to the fire)
- Fuel starvation (feeding from empty tanks when other tanks still had fuel)
- A problem with the fuel itself (unlikely, but remember the BA 777 at Heathrow)
- Multiple birds strikes
- Uncontained failure of one engine with the shrapnel affecting the other engine
- Single engine failure + wrong engine shut-down
- Not directly an engine problem. For example a stall not properly dealt with which disrupted the air flow into the engines (like the Pinnacle CRJ or the West-Caribbean MD-80)

EDIT 1: Added
- Poor maintainence with the same error repeated in both engines (unlikelly that far into the flight and so close together)
- Flame out due to extreme hail or water ingestion (unlikely given the weather conditions)
- Two fully independent engine failures (extremely unlikely, would be an all-times first in commercial jets)

[IberiaMD-87]

The Nigerian Aviation Authority revoked the AOC of Dana Air.
The death toll reached more than 220 victims. It is by far the most deadliest MD-80-crash.

There are plans in Nigeria to ban MD-80-aircraft as a result of the crash.

Regards

[SAMRPICS]

Im in the same boat as you then their Transitfan as i happen to have flown on the Helios 733 that crashed in Greece only 6 months prior to the accident and to my knowledge thats the only one ive flown on thats crashed.

As for this accident, I hate to point the finger but in most cases within Africa poor maintenance, poor training and older aircraft are usually the norm so it really wouldnt shock me if this was the case here. As has been said the aircraft was only 21/22 years of age which is not that old but it is of an age where there will be regular checks to carry out. Regardless of the cause it is extremely sad and may all the victims RIP. My thoughts are with their families.

[transitfan]

RIP to all involved.

I flew on that plane, when it was with AS. 4/28/97, SFO-LAX. Even took a pic of it at SFO before boarding. AFAIK, this is the only plane that I know of that I've flown on that later crashed, but I didn't start recording reg #s until fairly recently, so there conceivably be others.

[Evan]

Judging by the photo's of locals rummaging around in the debris, and reports of looting, I'm glad I'm not on the forensic investigation team for this crash.

They might have to gather their evidence on eBay. It's frightening to see how dense the crowd is, all breathing toxic smoke and walking through the wreckage barefoot. I guess this is what happens when you crash into a city of 8 million mostly uneducated and impoverished people.

The pilot is reported to be an American.