One plane crash too many Barely three weeks after former Governor Olusegun Agagu of Ondo State reportedly slumped and died of an undisclosed illness in Lagos after returning from a trip to the United States,

Barely three weeks after former Governor Olusegun Agagu of Ondo State reportedly slumped and died of an undisclosed illness in Lagos after returning from a trip to the United States, another tragedy struck in Lagos on Thursday as a chartered airplane conveying his body to Akure crashed within the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

The plane, which belonged to the Associated Airlines and had about 20 passengers on board, had suddenly nose-dived after taking off at the airport. The incident occurred just as late Agagu’s family, friends, associates and other relations waited anxiously at the Ondo State capital to receive his corpse and proceed with the burial arrangement.

About 13 passengers including the crew of the ill-fated were confirmed dead, while seven others, including the son of the late governor, Feyi Agagu, sustained injuries.

It is somewhat ironic that Agagu’s remains would be caught in a disaster of this nature on the same turf that he had controlled as the Minister of Aviation in 1999.

Equally it is sad that another plane crash has occurred less than two years after the last one involving a Dana Air plane on June 13, 2012.

Apart from stirring memories of that tragic incident, the latest plane crash compels another glance at the circumstances that usually surround such mishaps in Nigeria.

Some factors have been identified as the major causes of plane crashes in Nigeria include non-lighting of runways and airfields, poorly constructed drainage culverts, inaccurate information by the control tower, lack of proper certification of radio operators and poor supervision of aircraft imported into the country,  inefficient regulation and a persistent urge on the part of the airlines to cut corners.

After the 2006 Civil Aviation Act was passed into law, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority was sufficiently empowered to effectively regulate the operations of airlines and ensure that they adhered strictly to the rules.

But some airline owners have been accused of disobeying the same rules and ignoring sensitive technical advice from their engineers. This problem reportedly was central to the Dana Air plane crash of 2012. It has been noted that contrary to the wishes of the airport manager of the airline in Abuja, the ill-fated aircraft was ordered to operate by the management.

Most airlines skip maintenance checks. Aided by some officials of the regulatory body, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, they postpone the checks or settle for below-the-level types.

Unfortunately, while the NCAA appears to be strict with some airlines, it has been accused of showing leniency to others. Perhaps, this is the reason why some airlines are allowed to operate even after they have been involved in plane crashes and found to lack the ability to continue operations.

Also, investigation has shown that part of the problem is the inability of the NCAA to enforce quality, safety, and security standards at Nigeria’s airports.

However, the Associated Airlines plane crash raises a question about the implementation of the recommendations of a report on the causes of plane crashes submitted to the Federal Government by the Accident Investigation Bureau.

Had the government and relevant aviation authorities promptly acted on the content of the report, it is possible that Thursday’s incident would have been averted.