Panic erupted on Thursday after a private aircraft suffered a mid-air incident shortly after departing Abuja, forcing the crew to declare an emergency and return to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The aircraft, a CL60 Challenger operated by Triton Aviation with registration T7-SEI and flight ID DWC052, was en route to Lagos when one of its doors reportedly detached while airborne.
According to an Air Traffic Control incident report, the jet departed Runway 22 at 4:17 p.m. UTC for Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. Approximately three minutes into the flight and climbing through 3,000 feet, the crew issued a
Mayday distress call after discovering that a door had opened in flight.
Following the emergency declaration, air traffic controllers immediately directed the aircraft back to Abuja, while emergency response protocols were activated. Fire and medical teams were subsequently placed on standby ahead of the aircraft’s return.
At 4:29 p.m. UTC, the crew contacted the control tower to determine whether controllers could visually confirm the status of the door. However, due to the aircraft’s position, the duty controller was unable to verify the situation despite using binoculars.
The jet, carrying nine occupants, landed safely on Runway 22 at 4:34 p.m. UTC, approximately 14 minutes after the distress call. Upon landing, authorities confirmed that the door was completely missing from the aircraft’s fuselage.
The aircraft was thereafter guided to the international apron extension and parked with marshaller assistance. By 4:40 p.m. UTC, the crew confirmed visual contact with the marshaller.
Meanwhile, a video circulating on social media reportedly showed farmers who discovered the detached door on farmland within the Federal Capital Territory.
“This is what we found as we were returning from our farm. It fell from a plane, but we don’t know much about its identity,” a voice in the video stated.
Triton Aviation could not be reached for comment as of press time.
Confirming the incident, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, said the matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
The NSIB has also confirmed the occurrence and disclosed that investigators have been deployed to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident, with an official statement expected soon.
