# 1994 Oriental Airlines crash

On 18 September 1994, an Oriental Airlines BAC One-Eleven (registration 5N-IMO) crashed during an attempted landing at Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport in Tamanrasset, Algeria. The crash resulted in five fatalities—two passengers and three crew members. The charter flight, traveling from Tunis, Tunisia, to Lagos, Nigeria, was arranged to return the Nigerian football team Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland FC) following an away match against Espérance.

## Background
### Aircraft and operator

The aircraft involved in the crash was a BAC 1-11-515FB, a twin-engined, narrow-body, medium-haul jet built in 1970 with serial number 229. Manufactured in the United Kingdom, it was powered by two Rolls-Royce Spey 512-14DW engines. Its maiden flight occurred on 4 December 1970 at Hurn Airport.
Initially delivered to the German airline Paninternational on 4 March 1971, the aircraft was registered as D-ALAQ. However, it was withdrawn from service on 6 October 1971 and stored for several months. It was then returned to its manufacturer, the British Aircraft Corporation, where it was re-registered as G-AZPZ on 21 March 1972.
In May 1972, the aircraft was registered as D-AMAM and began operations with Germanair. After the merger of Germanair with Bavaria Fluggesellschaft, it became part of the Bavaria Germanair fleet on 1 March 1977.
Following the acquisition of Bavaria Germanair by Hapag-Lloyd Flug on 1 January 1979, the aircraft continued its service under the new ownership. Re-registered as G-AZPZ on 30 April 1981, it was transferred to Dan-Air and resumed operations. On 2 April 1982, it was moved to British Caledonian, where it was named City of Glasgow.
When British Caledonian merged with British Airways, the aircraft was integrated into the British Airways fleet and renamed Dumfries and Galloway Region. After being withdrawn from service on 1 July 1993, the aircraft remained in storage for several months.
The aircraft began operations with Oriental Airways under the registration 5N-IMO on 17 March 1994. The airline was owned by Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, then-owner of Iwuanyanwu Nationale.

### Football context

Iwuanyanwu Nationale qualified for the 1994 African Cup of Champions Clubs after winning the 1993 Nigerian Premier League. The team advanced through the first two rounds, defeating Nigerien side Zumunta AC and Cameroonian team RC Bafoussam. They faced Tunisian champions Espérance in the quarterfinals but lost 3–0 in the first leg in Tunis.

## Flight and crash

At the time of the accident, Tamanrasset, Algeria, was experiencing poor visibility due to early morning dust haze. The return flight to Nigeria had already been delayed by over three hours owing to disputes over fuel costs. Limited fuel and adverse weather conditions forced the pilots to divert to Tamanrasset. Three landing attempts were aborted as the captain was unable to establish visual contact with the runway.
During the fourth landing attempt, 83 minutes after the initial approach, the aircraft was not aligned with either runway and landed in an unstable configuration. Upon touchdown, it began to break apart, colliding with a light pole and a building before coming to rest off the runway. Survivor Anthony Nwaigwe recounted that the aircraft broke into three sections, enabling some passengers to escape. The crash resulted in the deaths of two passengers and three crew members, while many of the 34 other occupants sustained injuries.

## Victims
### Crew

* Chinedu Ogbonna (pilot)
* Chukwuwenyi Amaechi (pilot)
* Obiageli Ezeh (air steward)

### Footballers

* Omalie Aimuanmwosari
* Uche Ikeogu

## Notable survivors

* Anthony Nwaigwe
* Christian Chukwu