Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145

Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145
The aircraft involved in the accident in 1997, while still in operation with JAT Airways
Accident
Date10 December 2005 (2005-12-10)
SummaryMissed approach due to pilot error aggravated by microburst-induced windshear
Site
Aircraft
Aircraft typeMcDonnell Douglas DC-9-32
Aircraft nameRose of Enugu
OperatorSosoliso Airlines
IATA flight No.SO1145
ICAO flight No.OSL1145
Call signSOSOLISO 1145
Registration5N-BFD
Flight originNnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria
DestinationPort Harcourt International Airport, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Occupants110
Passengers103
Crew7
Fatalities108
Injuries2
Survivors2

Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 (SO1145/OSL1145) was a scheduled Nigerian domestic passenger flight from Nigeria's capital of Abuja (ABV) to Port Harcourt (PHC). At approximately 14:08 local time (13:08 UTC) on 10 December 2005, it crash-landed at Port Harcourt International Airport. The aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 with 110 people on board, slammed into the ground and burst into flames. Immediately after the crash, seven survivors were recovered and taken to hospitals, but only two people survived.

It was the second air disaster to occur in Nigeria in less than three months, after Bellview Airlines Flight 210, which crashed on 22 October 2005 for reasons unknown, killing all 117 people on board. It was the company's first and only fatal accident.

An investigation carried out by Nigeria's Accident Investigation Bureau attributed the crash to the pilots' decision to keep descending past the minimum decision altitude even though they did not have the runway in sight. Contributing factors include the crew's delayed decision to execute a go-around, improper procedure being followed when it was executed, adverse weather conditions caused by microburst-induced windshear and thunderstorms, and the absence of runway lighting.