The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has opened an investigation after an aircraft door detached mid-flight from a Triton-operated Challenger 604.
According to an official statement from the NSIB, the aircraft (registration T7-SEI) was en route from Abuja to Lagos when the door separated at an altitude of 3,500 feet.
The crew immediately declared a mayday and safely returned to Abuja, landing on Runway 22.
All nine individuals on board—three crew members and six passengers—escaped uninjured.
The NSIB said the separated door had been recovered and secured as investigators began work to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Bureau said further updates would be provided as the investigation progresses.
The incident comes less than two weeks after a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft crashed near Igbokoda in Ondo State on October 5, killing all 25 people on board.
The aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos when it crashed in a swampy area.
The Nigerian Air Force has since set up a 12-member board to investigate the crash, while the Senate and House of Representatives have moved to examine aircraft maintenance and safety concerns.
In July, an Enugu Air aircraft also veered off the runway after landing at Benin Airport.
The Embraer E170, which was flying from Lagos to Benin, had 68 people on board, all of whom survived without injuries.
The NSIB launched an investigation into the incident, which it later linked in a preliminary report to several factors, including an inoperative autobrake system.
The latest incident adds to renewed attention on aviation safety and the need for thorough investigations into aircraft occurrences in Nigeria.
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