Nigeria Airways Flight 825

Nigeria Airways Flight 825 was en route from London to Lagos with intermediate stops in Rome and Kano. With its undercarriage down and its flaps partially extended, the VC-10 struck trees 13 kilometres short of runway 19. The aircraft crashed into the ground, an area of teak forest[2] and exploded.

All 76 passengers and 11 crew on board were killed. Flight 825 was the first ever fatal crash involving the Vickers VC-10 as well as the deadliest accident or incident.[3]

Immediately after the crash three automatic weapons were found in the wreckage. To counter a rumour that a fight between a prisoner and two guards caused the crash, a ballistics expert was consulted. It was learned none of the weapons had been recently fired.[4]

The cause of the crash could never be determined with certainty, the flight recorder was not working at the time of the crash,[5] but that it was most probably due to the flight crew being unaware of the aircraft's actual altitude during the final approach and allowing the aircraft to come below safe height when not in visual contact with the ground.[6] Fatigue may have also been a contributing factor.[7]

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