Nigeria Airways Flight 2120

Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 refers to a Douglas DC-8-61 that crashed at King Abdulaziz International Airport on 1991-7-11, killing all 261 people on board.

Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident was a 1968-built Douglas DC-8-61, registration C-GMXQ, owned by the Canadian company Nolisair, and usually operated by Nationair; at the time of the accident, it was being wet-leased to Nigeria Airways, which in turn sub-leased it to another company to transport Nigerian pilgrims to and from Mecca.

Accident
The aircraft departed King Abdulaziz International Airport bound for Sadiq Abubakar III International Airport; problems were reported shortly after takeoff. The crew attempted to return to the airport of departure for an emergency landing, but the aircraft caught fire and crashed short of the runway. All 261 occupants on board —of whom 247 were passengers— perished in the accident.

, the accident remains the deadliest one involving a DC-8, as well as the second deadliest one taking place on Saudi Arabian soil.

Causes
The cause of the crash was found to be under-inflated tires that overheated, subsequently catching fire. The fire spread to the cargo hold, causing a failure of hydraulic systems.

Aftermath
A memorial to the incident is located at the head office of Greater Toronto Airports Authority on the grounds of Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario. An episode of Mayday entitled Under Pressure investigated this accident.