A PRIVATE jet operated by Triton Aviation lost a door mid-air shortly after departing the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for Lagos on Thursday, forcing its crew to declare an emergency before making a safe landing, as the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) commenced an investigation into the incident.
News Point Nigeria reports that the aircraft, identified in the incident reports as a Challenger jet with registration number T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, was en route to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, when the incident occurred. The NSIB confirmed that nine persons, comprising three crew members and six passengers, were on board and all landed safely.
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According to an incident report obtained by our correspondent, the aircraft was operated by Triton Aviation and had taken off from Runway 22 at Abuja airport at about 4:17 pm UTC. However, a statement by the NSIB said the aircraft, identified as a Challenger 604, departed Abuja for Lagos at 16:12 UTC.
The incident report showed that the crew informed the air traffic control tower that a door had opened in flight, prompting the approach radar controller to direct the aircraft back to Abuja for an emergency landing.
The report further stated that the aircraft was about three nautical miles from the airport and climbing through 3,000 feet when the crew transmitted a distress call: “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.”
The NSIB, in its account of the incident, said the aircraft had climbed to about 3,500 feet above sea level and travelled approximately three nautical miles after departure when the crew declared the emergency, known in aviation parlance as a “Mayday”, following the separation of the aircraft’s door.
Following the distress call, airport fire and emergency personnel, as well as the medical team, were immediately alerted and placed on standby. Fire and rescue teams were also directed to designated positions to prepare for the aircraft’s return.
The incident report stated that at about 4:29 pm UTC, while in contact with the Abuja control tower, the crew asked whether the controllers could confirm if the door was open.
“The duty air traffic controller attempted to observe the aircraft using binoculars, but could not establish the door’s condition because of the aircraft’s position. The crew was subsequently informed that the controller could not confirm the situation visually,” the report said.
The aircraft eventually returned to Abuja and landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 pm UTC, about 14 minutes after the Mayday call, according to the incident report.
The NSIB also confirmed that the aircraft returned to Abuja and landed safely on Runway 22 at about 16:34 UTC, with all nine persons on board accounted for.
Following the landing, the duty air traffic controller observed that the aircraft’s door was missing from the fuselage, confirming the seriousness of the incident.
The jet was subsequently taxied to the international apron extension and parked with the assistance of a marshaller.
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Meanwhile, a video obtained by The PUNCH showed the missing door, reportedly recovered by farmers from a farm in the Abuja area.
In the video, a man whose identity could not be established said the farmers found the door while returning from their farm.
He said, “This is what we found as we were returning from our farm. It fell from a plane, but we don’t know much about its identity. As I am sending it to you, sir, just check it.”
The NSIB, however, said the aircraft door had been recovered and secured at its wreckage hangar as part of the ongoing investigation.
The number of passengers on board could not be immediately confirmed at the time of filing the initial report. The NSIB subsequently clarified that nine persons, comprising three crew members and six passengers, were on board the aircraft.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, confirmed the incident but said the agency could not comment, adding that the matter fell under the purview of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.
Although the NSIB could not immediately provide an official comment to our correspondent at the time of the initial inquiry, a reliable source in the agency confirmed the seriousness of the incident.
The source said the bureau’s management had deployed investigators and would issue an official statement in due course.
In its subsequent statement, signed by its Director-General, Captain Alex Badeh Jnr., the NSIB confirmed that it had commenced an investigation into the occurrence involving the Challenger 604 aircraft operated by Triton Aviation.
Badeh said the investigation was aimed at establishing the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The bureau said its investigators would examine the circumstances surrounding the separation of the aircraft’s door and other relevant aspects of the occurrence.
Triton Aviation, the aircraft’s operator, could not be reached for comment at the time of filing the initial report.
The NSIB said it had commenced its investigation and would work to establish the circumstances surrounding the occurrence.
