An aircraft operated by Triton Aviation made an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, on Thursday after a door reportedly opened and detached shortly after take-off, prompting the crew to issue a Mayday distress call.
The CL60 aircraft, with registration number T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, was scheduled to fly from Abuja to the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, when the incident occurred at about 4:20 p.m. UTC, according to an incident report obtained by The Guardian.
The report indicated that the aircraft departed Runway 22 at 4:17 p.m. UTC and was approximately three nautical miles from the airport, climbing through 3,000 feet, when the crew declared an emergency by transmitting “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.”
According to the report, the crew informed air traffic control that a door had opened during the flight. The approach radar controller subsequently instructed the aircraft to return to Abuja for an emergency landing.
Airport emergency services were immediately placed on alert following the distress call. The airport’s fire watch room and medical team were instructed to remain on standby, while fire and emergency personnel were directed to designated positions at A4 and A5 in preparation for the aircraft’s arrival.
The report stated that the crew later sought confirmation from air traffic control about the condition of the door.
It added: “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.
“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.”
After the landing, the duty air traffic controller observed that the aircraft’s door was missing from the fuselage, according to the report.
The aircraft was subsequently moved to the international apron extension and 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 guided into its parking position.
Meanwhile, a video obtained by the newspaper showed what appeared to be the missing aircraft door recovered by farmers in a bush or farmland in Abuja.
In the footage, a man whose identity could not be independently established said the farmers found the object while returning from their farm.
The number of passengers aboard the aircraft was not immediately known as of the time of filing this report.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) told the newspaper it would issue an official statement on the incident in due course.
, Abuja, on Thursday after a door reportedly opened and detached shortly after take-off, prompting the crew to issue a Mayday distress call.){kind=link}