An IRS Airlines Fokker 100, registration 5N-SIK performing a positioning flight from Bratislava (Slovakia) to Kano (Nigeria) with 2 crew, was enroute near GANLA waypoint (Niger) when radio contact was lost with the aircraft. A short time later the first officer of the flight tweeted: “still alive boss” and posted a photo of the aircraft, that came to a stop with all gear collapsed.
Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authorities confirmed the aircraft lost radio contact at about 20:00L (19:00Z) when enroute near GANLA (Niger), Niamey (Niger) Airport was informed and ready for a possible emergency landing.
GANLA waypoint is located at N13.7514 E8.3294 (Niger) about 104nm north of Kano (Nigeria).
The location of the emergency landing is still unknown at this time except for being within the borders of Niger, neighbour country of Nigeria.
According to radar data the aircraft had departed Bratislava at 10:30L (08:30Z), according to Nigeria’s CAA the aircraft lost radio contact near GANLA at about 19:00Z, about 10.5 hours later (editorial note: an intermediate landing thus appears likely).
On May 11th the first officer tweeted that the aircraft last landed with the gear extended.
5N-SIK had been in Slovakia for a C-Check following a hydraulics problem which prompted Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority to ground the airline in October 2013 as the airline no longer had a minimum of two serviceable aircraft. The return of 5N-SIK was eagerly awaited by the airline to be able to resume service.
5N-SIK after the emergency landing (Photo: First Officer of the flight JamyL MD Abubakar):
Map (Graphics: AVH/Google Earth):
Reblogged from http://www.avherald.com/h?article=474365a5&opt=0
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