THE Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) disclosed in a preliminary report on Friday that a private jet carrying the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, that crash-landed at the Ladoke Akintola Airport, Ibadan, in November 2023 breached the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) regulations.
The report noted that the operator of the jet, Flints Aero Services Limited, acted beyond its approved permissions by carrying passengers despite a Permit for Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) from the NCAA that explicitly restricted such operations.
Furthermore, the NSIB stressed the need for Flints Aero Services Limited to adhere strictly to its given permit in accordance with Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations 2015. The bureau also urged the flight crew to have adequate experience in night-time flight operations.
The incident involving the Hawker 800XP aircraft led to substantial damage to the fuselage, landing gear, and flaps. Although no injuries were reported among the 10 individuals on board, the aircraft’s CVR and FDR (Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder) remained intact.
Additionally, another incident report by the NSIB involved a Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft owned by FLYFORVALUE Aviation Limited. The plane veered off the runway during landing at Port Harcourt Intl. Airport, with all 68 passengers safely disembarked.
The NSIB recommended strict adherence to airport operational hours, clearing of overgrown grass verges adjacent to runways, and ensuring compliance with flight limitations set by the NCAA.
When contacted on the matter Bolaji Tunji, special assistant on media to the minister said, “The minister does not own or operate an airline. If the aircraft violated NCAA rules, that is quite unfortunate. I am sure NCSS has compliance officers to ensure airlines adhere strictly to its rule.
“You will recall that the incident involving the aircraft happened the day the ministerial retreat ended. The retreat ended late in the evening and because the HM had a previous assignment, the PJ had to be hired in order to meet up. He was supposed to visit Ogbomoso to visit an on going project on Power.
“The following day, he was supposed to be in Lagos at the commissioning of some projects by the Lagos governor. It was inorder to keep the assignment that he boarded a private jet. Unfortunately, the incident occurred. No one prays for such.”
