The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has launched an investigation into the mid-air separation of a door from a private jet operated by Triton Aviation, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The Challenger 604 aircraft, with registration number T7-SEI, was travelling from Abuja to Lagos on Thursday, October 15, when the incident occurred shortly after take-off. All nine persons on board, comprising three crew members and six passengers, survived as the aircraft returned safely to the airport.
In a statement on Friday, NSIB Chief Executive Officer, Alex Badeh, said the bureau had recovered the detached door and secured it at its wreckage hangar as part of efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The Bureau has commenced its investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the occurrence,” Badeh said, adding that further updates would be provided as the investigation progressed.
According to an incident report cited by Punch, the aircraft, operating flight DWC052, was climbing through about 3,000 feet and was approximately three nautical miles from the airport when the crew issued a distress call.
“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday,” the crew reportedly transmitted, signalling an emergency that prompted the immediate activation of airport emergency response procedures.
Airport fire and emergency personnel, medical teams, and fire and rescue units were alerted and placed on standby ahead of the aircraft’s return.
The report said that, while communicating with the Abuja control tower at about 4:29 pm UTC, the crew asked air traffic controllers to confirm whether the aircraft’s door was open.
The duty controller reportedly attempted to inspect the aircraft with binoculars but could not determine the door’s condition because of the aircraft’s position. The crew was subsequently informed that the controller could not visually confirm the situation.
The aircraft eventually landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 pm UTC, about 14 minutes after the Mayday call. After landing, the controller observed that the door was missing from the fuselage.
The jet was then taxied to the international apron extension and parked with the assistance of a marshaller.
Badeh’s statement gave the departure time as 16:12 UTC and said the aircraft declared a Mayday after the door separated while it was climbing through 3,500 feet, approximately three nautical miles from the airport. It returned to Abuja and landed safely at 16:34 UTC.
A video circulating on social media also showed what appeared to be the detached aircraft door lying on farmland.
The NSIB is expected to establish the sequence of events leading to the door’s separation and determine the factors responsible for the occurrence. The bureau has yet to disclose any preliminary findings.
