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Sultan, Dep Gov, 96 Die in ADC Plane Crash(Vanguard (Nigeria) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) IT was yet another black Sunday in Nigeria yesterday after a Boeing 737-2B7 crashed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja just moments after take off, killing 98 people on board including the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido, and his Senator son, Alhaji Badamasi Maccido as well as Sokoto Deputy Governor, Alhaji Garba Muhammed. Indeed, three generations of the Maccidos died in the crash as it also claimed Senator Maccido's son, Umar. Also killed were outspoken Senator, Alhaji Sule Yari Gandi, his wife and mother, four children of the same parents just named Abdurahman aged 5, 6, 8, and 11 respectively and two high ranking Sokoto title holders-- Alhaji Ahmed Danbaba (Magajin Yari Sokoto) and Alhaji Bello Sule (Magajin Safin Sokoto)-- and the state Education Commissioner. The Sultan who was buried last night, the Deputy Governor and the Commissioner had gone to Abuja to participate in the Presidential Forum on Education. He was buried last night according to Islamic rites. There were seven survivors, three of whom were daughters of Governor Ibrahim Idris of Kogi State. Seven farmers who were tending their farms were also killed when the plane crashed on them. The 23-year-old aircraft took off from Lagos for Sokoto via Abuja, and was on the last lap of the journey when the accident occurred. The aircraft, with registration number 5N-BFK, came down at Tunda Madaki Village, close to the airport, just two kilometres into take off at 11:30 a.m. Although the cause of the crash was not immediately known, Managing Director of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Capt. Roland Iyayi, told Vanguard that the pilot ran into a thunderstorm on take off. Vanguard gathered that because the aircraft had three and a half hours fuel endurance, the impact of the thunderstorm ignited fire which made it burst into flames. The Director-General of the regulatory agency, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren, who was on his way to Abuja, cautioned against speculations concerning the cause of the crash. The Opebi, Ikeja, head office of ADC Airlines looked desolate yesterday, as the staff on duty were yet to recover from the shock caused by the crash. Spokesperson for the airline, Mrs. Ngozi Wellington, said the crash came as a rude shock, saying the airline was just trying to consolidate. "We had an accident in Abuja this morning. I don't have all the facts yet, but as soon as we have them I shall relay them to you. I must be frank with you, we didn't expect this at all. I'm yet to recover from the shock caused by this crash," she told newsmen. In a terse statement last night, the company said: "The management of Aviation Development Company Plc regrets to announce the involvement of one of its aircraft in an air accident today, Sunday, October 29, 2006. "The Sokoto bound Boeing 737 aircraft took off from Abuja at about 11.30 a.m. with 100 passengers and five crew members on board. Attached is the passenger manifest. "Management commiserates with the families of the bereaved and would release more information." Search and rescue began in earnest under the supervision of aviation parastatal chiefs, led by the NCAA Director-General. Family members besiege ADC counter Meanwhile, families of passengers on board the aircraft besieged ADC Airlines' counter at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, asking for passenger manifest. The situation at the counter almost got out of control owing to the inability of officials of the airline to convince them that the manifest would be made public as soon as the relevant authorities gave the approval. Statistics released by the regulatory agency showed that the ill-fated aircraft was airworthy, as it was not due for C-Checks until January 30, 2007. Statistics on crashes Same statistics revealed that the aircraft was also due for D-Checks on April 18, 2007. It was manufactured by Boeing Aircraft Manufacturing Company in October 1983. The NCAA named the aircraft's pilot as Capt. Atanda, and the First Officer as Capt. Okone, and said investigation into the crash was continuing. This is the second time an ADC airliner would be involved in a crash, as the airline's Boeing 727-200 was on November 6, 1996 involved in a crash at Ejinrin, Ikorodu, Lagos, killing 143 passengers and crew. Last month, 14 military officers, including 10 generals, were killed when their small Air Force plane crashed into the hills in Benue State. The military officers were on their way to Obudu in Cross River State to attend the annual Chief of Army Staff Conference on September 17 when the Dornier 228-221, crashed into the hills of Korti in central Benue State minutes before arrival. In December, a Sosoliso commercial jet crashed on landing in Port Harcourt, killing all the 117 people on board. Two months earlier, a Bellview commercial plane crashed in Lisa village, Ogun State, killing more than 100 people on board. Governor Sani Yerima of Zamfara State was among early callers at the scene of the crash. Amidst tears, he said: "I cannot understand why things like this happen. I will not be able to say much other than to say painfully that it is the will of God. I will just pray that this type of calamity will not occur to this nation again. We need a lot of prayers in this country. We really have to pray hard." Alhaji Babagana Kingibe said: "I happened to be watching Sky News when I saw the news flash. This is too tragic and such a great waste of lives to the nation. The plane was going to Sokoto and you can imagine that about 90 per cent of those in the aircraft were Sokoto and Zamfara indigenes. The Sultan, the kingmakers. It's so tragic. I think there is need to take a serious look at our aviation industry. I understand that it was raining. There should be discipline in the aviation industry. This is one tragedy too many." Security cordons off site The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Sunday Ehindero ordered that mobile policemen attached to FCT Command should cordon off the site and be provided tents to stay while they provide security at the place. Minister of the FCT, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai. on his part said: "It is most unfortunate. Looking at the condition of the aircraft alone, it is awful." Asked about the white paper of the past plane crash investigations, the minister said: "The while paper is being implemented but the decay in the aviation industry has taken over a decade to accumulate but I was informed the weather was not okay. We must continue to implement the penalties for indiscipline. I am so downcast because I lost three of my close friends including Senator Yari Gandi, his wife and almost all his children. In fact, this type of losses is unacceptable to anybody and everybody. I think the President will take the necessary measures this time around." Manifest of Ill-Fated Flight 1 IJEOMAH/I CHF 2 CHIKA /I.T 3 OLEGHE / I.O. MR 4 KALLLAMU .S MISS 5 USEN E. /ENGR 6 MOHAMMED S./MR 7 JEYIBO ESTHER/MISS 8 MOSHI R./DR 9 OGUNLEYE O.O /MR 10 ISONG A.O/MR 11 MUBOR N./MRS 12 NAKIJWA K./MR 13 OSAWE D.E/MR 14 ARETIYA ESENE/MRS 15 BOB-MANUEL I/DR 16 OYARORISA A.O/MR 17 ABDURAHAMAN R. (CHLD 6YRS) 18 ABDURAHAMAN S. (CHLD 8YRS) 19 ABDURAHMAN N. (CHLD 5YRS) 20 ABDURAHMAN B.(CHLD 11YRS) 21 ONWUEGBU C./MISS 22 OYENIYI A.O/MR 23 MUKHTAR B.M 24 MOMODU M.E/MR 25 OJO A.O/MR 26 USMAN M/ALH 27 IRABOR O.H/MR 28 LAWAL M.A/MR 29 UZOMBAG.O/MR 30 ADUKI S.A/MR 31 OLA R/DR 32 EGWU P./Ms 33 GARBA R./MRS 34 NWAORGU E./MR 35 MACIVER T./MR 36 MACIVER R./MR 37 ISIWELE .J./MR 38 AKIN JOHN .I./ 39 TOLUHI .C./MRS 40 HARUNA AYA/DR 41 AYEMOBA J./MRS 42 ENYINAYA E.U./DR 43 MUSTAFA F./HAJ 44 MUSTAFA H./MISS 45 BALOGUN T.A/MR 46 SABO ODILI/MR 47 BARAYO BOYI /ALHAJI 48 IBRAHIM S./ALHAJI 49 ALEXENDAR N./MR 50 IGE UMARU/HAJIA 51 YARI GANDI/SENATOR 52 YARI GANDI/MRS 53 SHAGARI A.S/MR 54 ARZIKA B.(INFANT) 55 AMODA K.E. 56 AHMED F.D./MRS 57 DAN MUSA L. /MRS 58 NWAEZE C.O./SIR 59 BAYERO A./MR 60 GARUBA MOHAMMED/( DEP GOV) 61 UAISU YARO /ALHAJI 62 AHMED DANBABA- MAGAJI YARI SOKOTO 63 BELLO SULE - MAGAJI SAFIN SOKOTO 64 YAHAYA M.B./MR 65 MACCIDO UMAR (CHLD) 66 MACCIDO BADAMASI/SENATOR 67 MACCIDO MUHAMMED/HR/HIS EMINENCE 68 IBRAHIM ZAINAB 69 DANGANA UMAR AMINA 70 BELLO MABARAK - CHLD 71 MUHAMMADU A. - CHLD 72 YAHAYA M.K./MR 73 KWARE BELLO/MR 74 NASIR IBRAHIM YABO 75 KWATWA P/MR 76 SULEIMAN ISMAILA/MR 77 OKOYE B.C.C./DR 78 SAIDU.S./MR 79 HANAFI A.S./MR 80 OLANIYI A.O./MR 81 HASSAN K./HON 82 ALABI T. 83 NNAMDI O./MR 84 BELLO L./MR 85 JUNAIDU S.U/DR 86 KANGIWA S./MRS 87 HAGGAR D.P/DR (MRS) 88 TSADU M.K./MRS 89 MUSA A.S./MR 90 ARZIKA H./MRS 91 UMAR A./MISS 92 SULEIMAN I.K/MR 93 JABONURA/MR 94 ZARAU UMAR J./MISS 95 AZAKI RUKIYAT/HAJ 96 DANKE U.B. /ALH 97 DAN MUSA 98 SHAMAKI F. 99 IBRAHIM JEMILA/MISS 100 KARDI ANA/HAJIA CREW MEMBERS 1 ATANDA KOLAWOLE CAPT 2 OKONNEH CELESTINE F/O 3 KANU CHRISTIAN /MR 4 ONUKA PETER /MR 5 NWUGBUNA NGOZI /MISS Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media. 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