NSIB reveals how a private jet mistakenly landed on an Asaba construction road

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has revealed that the crew of a private plane aborted their initial landing attempt at Asaba Airport before making a second approach which resulted in the plane landing on a road under construction instead of the airport runway.

The disclosure was contained in the Bureau’s preliminary report regarding a June 10 incident involving a Bombardier Challenger 601-3A aircraft, registered as N989BC and operated by VMO Aero Limited.

According to the report, the aircraft was operating under Instrument Flight Rules on a scheduled flight from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos to Asaba Airport when the unusual landing occurred.

Investigators said the pilots abandoned their first approach to Asaba before repositioning the plane for another landing attempt on Runway 11.

Despite believing they had carried out airport-approved approach procedures, the plane ultimately landed on a nearby paved road that was still under construction.

“The flight crew reported that the aircraft’s navigation indications showed the aircraft was in accordance with the published RNAV Runway 11 approach,” the report said.

The NSIB revealed that there were seven people on board the plane at the time of the incident, including four crew members and three passengers, and there were no recorded injuries.

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After the unexpected landing, the plane was shut down and inspected before passengers disembarked safely.

According to the bureau, the jet was then flown back to Lagos after leaving a construction road, although inspectors later detected damage to part of its landing gear.

“The aircraft then left the traffic lane and returned to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, without reporting any further operational abnormalities. Post-flight inspection identified damage to the left nose wheel assembly,” the report said.

The bureau explained that its initial findings were drawn from a variety of sources, including interviews with flight crew and witnesses, air traffic control records, operational documentation, physical examination of the aircraft, and information taken from the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder.

“The recorder was retrieved and downloaded at the Bureau’s Transportation Safety Laboratory in Abuja. Technical checks and further analysis are still ongoing,” the report added.

The latest findings provide further insight into the incident which has attracted national attention following comments by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who previously ruled out mechanical failure as the cause of the incident.

Speaking on Politics Tonight, a program on TVC, Keyamo explained that the plane had received permission to land before air traffic controllers realized that the plane was no longer visible on the airport runway.

He stated, “The tower in Asaba allowed them to land. After about two minutes, the tower called and said, ‘Where are you located? I can’t see you anymore. I can’t see you on the tarmac.’

“But they (the pilots) said they had landed, so the tower asked, ‘Landing where?’ I can see the entire runway and apron, but you’re not there.

“So, they said they landed on a highway that they saw. It happened to be a construction site very close to the airport. They saw a beautiful road there that looked like a runway and landed there.

“Before they (the relevant agencies) could go there and ask questions, they (the pilots) took off for Lagos after disembarking their passengers. There was no mechanical failure, and that’s why they were able to take off again. However, the facts are before the Department of Foreign Services (DSS). This has gone beyond aviation; it is now a security issue. The security agencies are looking into it, and there are reports that they will send it first to the President because it is a national security issue.”

The NSIB emphasized that its investigation is not yet complete, and emphasized that the initial report only presents the facts available so far and should not be construed as assigning blame or determining possible causes for the incident.

The bureau said further technical analysis and examination of existing evidence continues as investigators work to produce a final report that will explain the circumstances surrounding the mistaken landing and recommend steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.