There was panic on Thursday after a private jet lost its door mid-air shortly after take-off from Abuja, forcing an emergency return to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The aircraft, a CL60 Challenger operated by Triton Aviation with registration T7-SEI and flight ID DWC052, was en route to Lagos when the incident happened.
According to the Air Traffic Control incident report, the jet took off from Runway 22 at 4:17 p.m. for Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
Barely three minutes later, about three nautical miles from the airport and climbing through 3,000 feet, the crew declared an emergency — “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” — reporting that a door had opened in flight.
The report stated that the approach radar controller immediately directed the aircraft back to Abuja.
Emergency protocols were activated, with the fire watch room, medical team and fire personnel placed on standby at positions A4 and A5 ahead of landing.
At 4:29 p.m. UTC, the crew contacted the control tower to ask if controllers could visually confirm whether the door was open. The duty controller tried with binoculars but could not confirm due to the aircraft’s position.
The jet landed safely on Runway 22 at 4:34 p.m. UTC, about 14 minutes after the Mayday call. It was upon landing that controllers confirmed the door was completely missing from the fuselage.
The aircraft was then taxied to the international apron extension and parked with marshaller assistance. At 4:40 p.m. the crew reported marshaller in sight.
Meanwhile, a viral video seen by The Guardian showed farmers who found the missing door on a farmland in Abuja.
“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,” a voice in the video said.
The number of persons on board was yet to be confirmed as of press time. Triton Aviation could not be reached for comments.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, confirmed the incident but said the matter is under the purview of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.
The NSIB also confirmed the serious incident and said investigators have been deployed, with an official statement expected soon.
The Guardian
