In January 1973, Kano State recorded the deadliest aviation disaster ever to take place in Nigeria.
The Kano ‘Air Disaster’ claimed the lives of 176 Hajj Returnees and crew members after their air craft, a chartered Boeing 707 passenger flight on 22 January 1973 crashed while attempting to land at Kano International Airport.
Boeing 707-3D3C with registration number JY-ADO, was owned by Alia Royal Jordanian Airlines and was operating on behalf of Nigeria Airways.
The ill fated air craft left King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah for Lagos Int’l Airport with 202 occupants of which, 193 were passengers and 9 crew members.
Boing 707-3D3C however, couldn’t land at the now Murtala Muhammed Int’l Airport due to bad weather and was diverted to Kano where it had landing gear collapse due to bad weather killing 176 persons leaving 26 survivors.