Boeing 707 Crash
Kano, Nigeria
January 22, 1973
A Royal Jordanian Boeing 707-300 was chartered by Nigeria Airways to take Muslims in Nigeria on a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. There were 198 passengers and 11 crew members on board as the plane approached Kano?s airport on January 22, 1973. A sudden blinding sand storm forced the pilot to abandon the landing and try again. On the second attempt, the landing gear collapsed as the plane hit the runway and the 707 burst into flames. In total, 170 passengers and six crew members lost their lives in the crash. The crash also led indirectly to another death when a local boy was caught stealing from the dead bodies. Relatives of the victims beat the boy to death on the spot. |
