Keyamo: Incident raises safety, regulatory concerns

The four crew members of the private aircraft that landed on a road near Asaba Airport, Delta State, on Wednesday, are currently in the custody of security agencies, Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo (SAN) has revealed.

Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), also announced the suspension of the licence of the operator of the aircraft by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

He explained that the detained crew of the aircraft are cooperating with relevant agencies in the investigations of the incident.

He said the ministry was alarmed that the crew only notified Air Traffic Control about the aircraft’s return to Lagos while already airborne.

In a post on his X, the Minister described the incident as a matter of grave safety and regulatory concern, vowing that relevant agencies will enforce strict sanctions on the infraction and crew’s non – compliance.

The post reads: “I have received reports of the private aircraft that conducted a missed approach at approximately 07:43 am local time this morning whilst attempting to land at the Asaba airport and ended up landing on a concrete road still under construction in the Ogwashi-Uku area, near Asaba.

“Happily, eyewitnesses at the scene indicate that all occupants safely exited the aircraft and were transported to Asaba by road. The aircraft had four crew members on board, and there were no injuries to them.

“I am also informed that the aircraft subsequently departed the location at approximately 11:02 GMT and returned to Lagos without obtaining the requisite regulatory approval. I also understand that Air Traffic Control was notified only after the aircraft had become airborne. In other words, the aircraft had no clearance to take off again.

“We view this incident as a serious breach of Regulations and security, and the following actions have been taken:

“Upon its arrival in Lagos, the NCAA immediately grounded the aircraft pending the outcome of its investigation.

“The NCAA has placed the flight under regulatory review while it conducts further inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the occurrence and the subsequent unauthorised departure of the aircraft.

“The NCAA is coordinating with relevant aviation stakeholders, including the operator and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“The NCAA has suspended the operator’s permit for Non-Commercial flight (PNCF).”

The NCAA will also review all operational, airworthiness, maintenance, and flight-related records as part of its statutory responsibilities and will take further enforcement action in accordance with applicable aviation regulations.

“I have also spoken to relevant security agencies, and I have been assured that the crew are in their custody and they are assisting them with their investigation.”

According to preliminary information, the aircraft was unable to access the airport’s runway but managed to land safely on an unfinished road.

In line with its statutory responsibilities, NCAA will undertake a thorough review of all operational, airworthiness, maintenance, and flight-related records associated with the aircraft and operator, and will not hesitate to impose further enforcement actions as may be warranted under the applicable civil aviation regulations. (The Nation)

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