“The 3 cabin crews and the 7 Passengers were all rescued from the damaged aircraft. All efforts to get details from the pilot proved abortive. Also at the scene were the NAF airport commandant and his team”
An aircraft with Dr Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power on board, has reportedly crash-landed near the Ibadan airport in Oyo State.
The aircraft which departed Abuja for Ibadan crash-landed on Friday night.
However, there are no casualties but could not be ascertained if the minister or those on board sustained injury in the incident.
The chartered aircraft, Flint Short Aero, an HS 125 with the registration no. 5N-AMM, was also said to have had an initial contact with the control tower at 18:56 seeking an extension, which was granted by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
However, the aircraft landed short of the threshold by about 50 metres and skidded into a bushy ditch close to the runway.
The incident happened after the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NiMET) issued a travel warning based on hazy weather.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had also advised pilots and airline operators to exercise caution over hazardous weather as the dry season approaches.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has reacted to the incident involving the Minister of Power, Adebayo and some of his aides.
The NSIB which is under the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, is charged with the responsibility to investigate any civil aircraft accident and serious incident arising out of or in the course of air navigation and occurring either in or over Nigeria.
A preliminary report on the incident issued on Saturday by NSIB noted that the aircraft was still in the bush at runway 22.
“At about 0825hrs of 03/11/2023, an aircraft with registration number 5N-AMM that convey the incumbent Minister of Power, AbdulWaheed Adebayo Adelabu, and his entourage crash-landed along runway 22 and skid off the runway into a nearby bush.
“The control tower reported on radio that he lost communication with the just landed aircraft and immediately called on the ARFFS, the AVSEC and other needed airport officials reported almost immediately to the scene.
“The 3 cabin crews and the 7 Passengers were all rescued from the damaged aircraft. All efforts to get details from the pilot proved abortive. Also at the scene were the NAF airport commandant and his team.
“As at time the of filing this report, the aircraft is still in the bush at runway 22 while the security personnel of both AVSEC, ARFFS, Airport Safety team and NAF team were on standby for cover,” the report said.
The spokesman for NSIB, Mr Tunji Oketumbi, said:” After a “brief emergency meeting with the HODs on ground, the findings were that there was no loss of life.
“The runway lighting system was on as at the time of the arrival. There was no life lost. We could not ascertain the cause of the incident as at the point of filing this report.
“The aircraft skid off the runway. In conclusion we are awaiting further investigation.”
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