A private jet operated by Triton Aviation has made an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after losing a door mid-air.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) confirmed the incident to TheCable on Friday, saying an investigation had commenced.
“The incident happened yesterday and investigations are ongoing,” a source at the bureau said.
OSUN DEFENDER reported on Friday that the aircraft, with registration number T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, was en route to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, when the incident occurred at about 4:20 pm on Thursday.
Citing an incident report, the publication said the aircraft was approximately three nautical miles from the airport and climbing through 3,000 feet when the crew issued a distress call.
“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday,” the crew reportedly transmitted.
Following the distress call, airport fire and emergency personnel, as well as the medical team, were alerted and placed on standby. Fire and rescue teams were also directed to designated positions in preparation for the aircraft’s return.
The report stated that at about 4:29 pm UTC, while communicating with the Abuja control tower, the crew asked whether air traffic 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 landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 pm UTC, about 14 minutes after the Mayday call.
After the landing, the duty air traffic controller reportedly observed that the door was missing from the aircraft’s fuselage.
The jet was subsequently taxied to the international apron extension and parked with the assistance of a marshaller.
Meanwhile, a video circulating on social media showed what appeared to be an aircraft door lying on farmland near Abuja.
Billionaires.Africa reported that the NSIB confirmed the recovery of the missing door.
“The door has been recovered and secured at the NSIB wreckage hangar,” the bureau said.
The NSIB said investigations were ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident, adding that further updates would be provided as the investigation progresses.
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