Nigeria Airways Flight 2120

Nigeria Airways Flight 2120
C-GMXQ, the aircraft involved, photographed in 1989
Accident
Date11 July 1991
SummaryUnder-inflated tire overheating, leading to an in-flight fire
SiteKing Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
21°38′13″N 39°10′23″E / 21.63694°N 39.17306°E / 21.63694; 39.17306
Aircraft
Aircraft typeDouglas DC-8-61
OperatorNationair Canada on behalf of Nigeria Airways
IATA flight No.WT2120
ICAO flight No.NGA2120
Call signNIGERIAN 2120
RegistrationC-GMXQ
Flight originKing Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
DestinationSadiq Abubakar III International Airport, Sokoto, Nigeria
Occupants261
Passengers247
Crew14
Fatalities261
Survivors0

Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 was a chartered passenger flight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Sokoto, Nigeria, on 11 July 1991, which caught fire shortly after takeoff from King Abdulaziz International Airport and crashed while attempting to return for an emergency landing, killing all 247 passengers and 14 crew members on board.[1][2] The investigation traced the fire to underinflated tires which overheated and burst during takeoff, and subsequently discovered that a project manager had prevented those tires from being replaced because the aircraft was behind schedule. The aircraft was a Douglas DC-8 operated by Nationair Canada for Nigeria Airways. Flight 2120 is the deadliest accident involving a DC-8 and the deadliest aviation disaster involving a Canadian airline.[3]

  1. ^ "261 feared dead in Saudi plane crash". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. 11 July 1991. p. 1. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Fire in landing gear preceded DC-8 crash". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. 12 July 1991. p. 3A. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mayday was invoked but never defined (see the help page).