The four crew members of the private aircraft that landed on a road near Asaba Airport, Delta State have been arrested.
The incident, which happened on Wednesday has drawn reaction from aviation authorities including Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo(SAN).
Keyamo in a statement he released on his X page, said the crew members have been taken into custody while the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA ) has suspended the licence of the operator of the aircraft.
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).”
According to preliminary information, the aircraft was unable to access the airport’s runway but managed to land safely on an unfinished road.
