Investigations have commenced into the private jet that crash-landed at the weekend at the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Officials of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) confirmed on Saturday that the aircraft crash-landed at the airport on Friday night, but there was no casualty.
There is speculation that seven passengers, including the Minister of Power, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, and three crew members were on board the jet.
Investigators from the bureau had been sent to the scene of the accident, and promised to provide further details as they unfold.
The full details of the incident were still sketchy as of press time but THISDAY/Arise news gathered that it happened at about 19.21 (7:21pm) local time.
However, efforts to confirm that the minister was in the aircraft proved abortive because the media could not get the manifest.
The aircraft, which sustained substantial damage, was believed to have left the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to Ibadan at 18:41 (6:41pm) and crash-landed into the bush away from the runway with no fatalities recorded.
According to airport sources, the chartered aircraft, Flint Short Aero, an HS25B with the registration number: 5N-AMM, had an initial contact with the Control Tower at 18:56 seeking for extension, which was granted by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
One of the sources said the Pilot-In-Command was cleared of RNAV (Area Navigation, which is instrument flight rules), and the aircraft had approached Runway 22 when the incident occurred.
The source, who suggested that the weather conditions might have caused the accident, said the aircraft landed short of the threshold by about 50 metres and skidded into a bushy ditch close to the runway.
“Aircraft was airborne Abuja at 1841 and crashed into the bush short of the Runway at about 1921UTC (local time). No fatalities but the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The pilot was cleared for RNAV approach Runway 22. However, all passengers and crew safely evacuated,” the source said.
All the passengers and crew were, however, evacuated safely.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) had issued a travel warning severally based on hazy weather.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has also advised pilots and airline operators to exercise caution due to hazardous weather conditions as the dry season approaches.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Dr. James Odaudu, confirmed that the investigation was ongoing.
“On the accident involving an aircraft operated by Flint Aero at the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport Ibadan, please be informed that the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has commenced an investigation into the cause. Our investigators are on site, and further information will be provided as soon as possible,” he said in a terse statement.
A spokesperson of NSIB, Mr. Tunji Oketunmbi, had earlier said that the Bureau’s investigators were on the ground to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the incident.
