A Triton Aviation aircraft loses a door shortly after take-off in Abuja, forcing an emergency landing as investigators probe the incident.
An air crash was averted on Thursday after a CL60 aircraft operated by Triton Aviation lost a door shortly after taking off from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, forcing the crew to declare an emergency and return to the airport.
The incident occurred at about 4:20 p.m. as the aircraft, with registration number T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, was travelling from Abuja to the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.
A video obtained by The Guardian showed that farmers later found the missing aircraft door on a farm in Abuja.
According to an incident report obtained by the newspaper, the aircraft took off from Runway 22 at 4:17 p.m. UTC and was about three nautical miles from the airport, climbing through 3,000 feet, when the crew transmitted “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.”
The report said the crew had informed air traffic controllers that a door had opened in flight, prompting the approach radar controller to direct the aircraft back to Abuja for an emergency landing.
Following the distress call, the airport’s fire watch room and medical team were alerted and instructed to remain on standby.
Fire and emergency personnel were also directed to designated positions at A4 and A5 in preparation for the aircraft’s return.
The report stated that at about 4:29 p.m. UTC, while in contact with the Abuja control tower, the crew asked whether air traffic controllers could confirm if the door was open.
It added: “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 aircraft landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 p.m. UTC, 14 minutes after the Mayday call.”
The Air Traffic Control report further stated that the duty controller observed after landing that the aircraft’s door was missing from the fuselage, confirming the seriousness of the incident.
The aircraft was subsequently taxied to the international apron extension, where it was parked with the assistance of a marshaller.
At about 4:40 p.m. UTC, the crew reported that the marshaller was in sight before the aircraft was positioned in its parking area.
Meanwhile, a video seen by The Guardian showed the missing door in the possession of farmers who reportedly found it in their farmland.
In the video, a man whose identity could not be established said the door fell from an aircraft while the farmers were returning from their farm.
“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 number of passengers on board the aircraft could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report. Triton Aviation, the operator of the aircraft, could also not be reached for comments.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, confirmed the incident but said the agency could not comment on it.
He said the incident fell under the purview of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
The NSIB also confirmed the incident, describing it as a serious occurrence.
The bureau’s media team told The Guardian that its management had deployed investigators to the scene for further investigations and would issue an official statement soon.