Nigeria aircraft incidents were mostly serious incidents, with human factors prominent

What the study found: Aircraft occurrences in Nigeria from 2000 to 2020 were more often serious incidents than accidents, and human and organizational factors were the main causes. Fixed-wing aircraft, landing phases, passenger flights, and several major cities appeared most often in the recorded cases.
Why the authors say this matters: The authors conclude that the findings point to the need for improved organizational procedures and regulations. They present the study as a basis for understanding patterns in aircraft safety occurrences in Nigeria.
What the researchers tested: The researchers analyzed aircraft incidents and accidents in Nigeria over the 2000-2020 period. They used data from the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the Aviation Safety Network (ASN) to identify attributes, trends, and preventive recommendations.
What worked and what didn't: Serious incidents made up 62% of recorded occurrences, while accidents accounted for 38%. There were 613 fatalities in total, fixed-wing aircraft were involved in 79% of occurrences, rotary-wing aircraft in 21%, and non-fatal occurrences were more common than fatal ones. The landing phase had the most occurrences, passenger flights had the highest number of recorded incidents, and Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Zaria were identified as high-frequency locations.
What to keep in mind: The abstract does not describe the study design in detail beyond the use of NSIB and ASN data. Limitations are not described in the available summary.

Key points

• Serious incidents were 62% of recorded occurrences, compared with 38% accidents.
• The study recorded 613 fatalities across the period studied.
• Fixed-wing aircraft accounted for 79% of occurrences; rotary-wing aircraft accounted for 21%.
• The landing phase was the most occurrence-prone, and passenger flights had the highest number of incidents.
• Human and organizational factors were identified as the main causes.
• Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Zaria were among the most frequent locations.