ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-54B-1-DC (DC-4) D-ABEB Kano International Airport (KAN)
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Status:
Date:Saturday 17 June 1961
Time:22:23 UTC
Type:Silhouette image of generic DC4 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Douglas C-54B-1-DC (DC-4)
Operator:Continentale Deutsche Luftreederei
Registration: D-ABEB
MSN: 10530
First flight: 1945
Total airframe hrs:32850
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5
Passengers:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Total:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 7
Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
Location:4 km (2.5 mls) WSW of Kano International Airport (KAN) (   Nigeria)
Phase: Approach (APR)
Nature:Int'l Non Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Tripoli International Airport (TIP/HLLT), Libya
Destination airport:Kano International Airport (KAN/DNKN), Nigeria
Narrative:
The C-54 plane was chartered to fly from Hamburg to Leopoldville with intermediate stops at Luxembourg (where the 2 passengers boarded the plane and some cargo was taken on), Tripoli, and Kano. During a night time approach to Kano runway 07 the plane crashed 2nm short of the threshold and caught fire.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The accident was the result of an error of judgement on the part of the captain, who, after sighting the runway lights, concentrated on keeping them in sight and failed to make adequate reference to his flight instruments. As a result, he allowed the aircraft to descend below the obstacle clearance limit of 360ft. In the darkness with no ground reference, the distant runway lights gave him insufficient guidance as to his height and angle of approach, and he was unaware that the aircraft had descended to ground level. The fatigue of the captain and the failure to illuminate the aircraft's landing lights were contributing factors."

Classification:
Insufficient rest / fatigue
Undershoot/overshoot

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Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Tripoli International Airport to Kano International Airport as the crow flies is 2325 km (1453 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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