US embassy cable - 05LAGOS1869

UNCLAS LAGOS 001869 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - HANDLE ACCORDINGLY 
 
STATE PASS FAA FOR ACONLEY, 
TRANSPORTATION FOR FAA; DAKAR PLEASE PASS TO FAA REP ED 
JONES; ROME PLEASE PASS TO TSA REP JOHN HALINSKI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR, CASC, ASEC, AMGT, NI, PREL 
SUBJECT: SOSOLISO AIRPLANE CRASH:CONSULAR AND NTSB 
OFFICIALS ON SITE 
 
REF: ABUJA 2387 
 
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Mission Confirms Amcit Onboard;Dispatches 
Consular Team;No News From Next-Of-Kin 
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1. (U) In response to the December 10 Sosoliso flight OSL 
1145 air crash, Mission sent a two-member consular response 
team (CRT) to Port Harcourt on December 11 to observe the 
crash site, to ascertain the number of Amcits involved, and 
follow up on Amcit casualties.  The Nigerian Red Cross 
reported 103 passengers and 7 crew members onboard the plane 
with only 5 survivors, all in critical condition.  Most of 
the bodies are severely burned but have been secured and 
taken to local mortuaries.  Already, we know that one Amcit, 
Hawa Kamara, was onboard the flight from Abuja to Port 
Harcourt.  We have not yet been able to reach the next-of-kin 
of Ms. Kamara.  The emergency contact she provided has not 
yet responded to us and Post has alerted the Embassy in 
Monrovia where her parents reside.  There are unconfirmed 
reports that two of the students from the Jesuit school might 
have been Amcits.  The CRT is visiting local hospitals and 
mortuaries to determine the status of Ms. Kamara and other 
possible Amcits. 
 
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NTSB Rep & Nigerian Officials Visit Site, 
Locate Data Recorders 
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2. (U) National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) 
Representative Dennis Jones went to Port Harcourt Airport 
today  and reported the flight data and cockpit voice 
recorders have been found.  The NTSB Rep reported the 
airplane crashed 2,100 feet from the beginning of the runway 
and approximately 240 feet left of the runway.  The plane 
crashed into a ditch, hitting a concrete wall inside the 
ditch, Accidents Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB) 
Director Angus Ozoka said.  The plane broke into several 
fragments and also caught fire.  Ozoka intends to send the 
recorders to the United Kingdom for analysis. 
 
3. (U) The tragedy was compounded by the poor emergency 
preparedness at the airport.  Of the four fire trucks there, 
only one functioned and that vehicle lacked water. 
 
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Police Attempting to Secure Site, But 
Obstacles Remain 
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4. (U) Police have secured the crash site at Port Harcourt 
Airport.  NTSB's Jones and Nigerian Red Cross officials 
reported the site is much better secured than the site of the 
October Bellview crash, but AIPB Director Ozoka complained 
Nigerian media were trying to get access into the crash site. 
 
5. (U) This cable has been cleared by Embassy Abuja DCM Tom 
Furey. 
BROWNE