NSIB, NCAA probe Dana Air runway incident in Lagos

Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), yesterday, opened an investigation into the serious incident of Dana Air plane that skidded off the runway in Lagos.

The Lagos-bound flight, with 83 passengers and six crew members onboard, had a runway excursion amid a heavy downpour at about 9:00 yesterday morning.

The apex regulatory body, NCAA, and Dana Air reported that all passengers and crew safely disembarked and were evacuated.

Recall that a similar incident occurred in June 2023 when a United Nigeria Airlines flight skidded off the runway. The aircraft had 50 passengers on board.

A preliminary report by NCAA stated that the aircraft, the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft with registration marks 5SN-BKI, departed Abuja for Lagos.

“Upon landing at the Lagos Airport, the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) Tower observed at C4 that the Nosewheel had retracted, the nose of the aircraft collapsed, and the aircraft veered off the runway into the grassy area.”

Acting Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, said the NSIB had commenced investigation into the occurrence. In line with its commitment to a safe and secure aviation sector, he said: “NCAA would also be looking to implement the safety recommendations expected from the NSIB investigation while it carries out its in-house safety assessment of the occurrence,”

Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NSIB, Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, in an incident report, noted that it had been raining, and the runway 18L surface was wet on aircraft arrival.

“The aircraft had a technical problem with its landing gear and experienced directional control problems after landing, which made it veer off the runway to the left and travel onto the grassy area near the Runway 18L link 6 turn-off point.”

The investigation team has retrieved the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, which will be taken to our lab for data download.

The transcript from Air Traffic Control and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria will also be included for forensic analysis and further investigation.

By international aviation safety protocols, a preliminary report containing a summary of basic fact-finding about the incident will be released within 30 days.

Following the incident and attendant disruption across its network yesterday, Dana Air management apologised to all passengers affected by the recent schedule disruption.

The airline in a statement wrote: ‘’We understand the frustration and inconvenience experienced by passengers whose travel plans were disrupted due to the incident and we are deeply sorry.

‘’Our remaining flights for the day have all been retimed and all the passengers on these flights have been updated via email, SMS and calls. We wish to also reassure affected passengers that we are working diligently to minimise disruption and accommodate their travel needs.’’