Nigeria Airways Flight 825 was en route from London to Lagos with intermediate stops in Rome and Kano. It was piloted by captain Valentine Moore, 56, first officer John Wallis, 30, flight engineer George Albert Baker, 50, and navigator Basil Payton, 49. With its undercarriage down and its flaps partially extended, the VC-10 struck trees 13 kilometres (8.1 mi; 7.0 nmi) short of runway 19 at Lagos. The aircraft crashed into the ground in an area of thick forest and exploded.^[2]

All 76 passengers and 11 crew on board were killed. Flight 825 was the first ever fatal crash involving the Vickers VC-10 as well as the deadliest accident or incident.^[3][4]

Immediately after the crash three automatic weapons were found in the wreckage. To counter a rumour that a fight between a prisoner and two guards caused the crash, a ballistics expert was consulted. It was learned that none of the weapons had been recently fired.^[5]

The cause of the crash was not determined with certainty. The flight recorder was not working at the time of the crash.^[6] It was determined to be most probably due to the flight crew being unaware of the aircraft's actual altitude during the final approach and allowing the aircraft to come below safe height when not in visual contact with the ground.^[4] Fatigue may have also been a contributing factor.^[7]

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