On 22 January 1973, a Nigeria Airways Boeing 707 crashed at Kano International Airport while attempting to land in high winds. The crash killed 176 passengers and crew. There were 26 survivors. The crash remains the deadliest aviation disaster ever in Nigeria.

The aircraft involved in the accident was a 2 year old Boeing 707-3D3C, JY-ADO, owned by Alia Royal Jordanian Airlines, operating on behalf of Nigeria Airways. It first flew in 1971 and was powered by 4 Pratt and Whitney JT3D engines. Its manufacturer serial number (MSN) was 20494 and was the 850th Boeing 707 built.

The Boeing 707, operated by Alia, had been chartered by Nigeria Airways to fly pilgrims back from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Lagos, Nigeria. Bad weather at Lagos caused the crew to divert to Kano. Kano International Airport was experiencing high winds at the time. The aircraft landed nose wheel first, and the nose wheel collapsed after hitting a depression in the runway. The right main landing gear leg subsequently collapsed. The 707 turned 180 degrees, excursed from the runway and burst into flames.

Of the 202 passengers and crew on board, 176 died. At the time of its occurrence, the Kano air disaster was the deadliest civil aviation accident, a distinction it only held for about 14 months when Turkish Airlines Flight 981 crashed in France and killed 346 people, becoming the overall deadliest aviation disaster (after also surpassing the 1968 Kham Duc C-130 shootdown which claimed 189 lives). The Kano aircraft crash was also the deadliest aviation disaster involving a Boeing 707 at the time until another Alia Royal Jordanian plane crashed in Morocco two years later.