Nigeria grounds Boeing 737s after air crashes

Nigeria has grounded all Boeing 737 planes from the 100, 200 and 200C series operating in its airspace, the majority of its civil fleet, following a spate of crashes which has left hundreds dead, an aviation spokesman said Sunday.

Sam Adurogboye told AFP the ban was announced on Saturday by a technical panel set up by the government to enforce safety advice from the US Federal Aviation Administration. The US body had received “a report of stretch corrosion cracks discovered by the operators during regular maintenance in the front spar of the centre section of the horizontal stabiliser in two Boeing 737, 100 and 200 series aircraft,” he said.The technical panel was set up last month to check the airworthiness of planes operating in Nigeria after a Boeing 737 operated by the private Bellview Airlines crashed just north of Lagos on October 22, killing all 117 people on board.Then, on December 10, a Sosoliso Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-9 jet plunged into the runway and exploded while landing in Port Harcourt, killing 107 people.There were only three survivors.The Boeing 737 is the most common plane in use.- Nampa-APThe US body had received “a report of stretch corrosion cracks discovered by the operators during regular maintenance in the front spar of the centre section of the horizontal stabiliser in two Boeing 737, 100 and 200 series aircraft,” he said.The technical panel was set up last month to check the airworthiness of planes operating in Nigeria after a Boeing 737 operated by the private Bellview Airlines crashed just north of Lagos on October 22, killing all 117 people on board.Then, on December 10, a Sosoliso Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-9 jet plunged into the runway and exploded while landing in Port Harcourt, killing 107 people.There were only three survivors.The Boeing 737 is the most common plane in use.- Nampa-AP