Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
A Triton Aviation aircraft made an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday after losing a door shortly after take-off, prompting the crew to issue a Mayday distress call.
The CL60 business jet, registered as T7-SEI and operating as flight DWC052, was travelling to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, when the incident occurred at about 4:20 pm.
An incident report obtained by our correspondent showed that the aircraft departed Runway 22 at 4:17 pm UTC. It was approximately three nautical miles from the airport and climbing through 3,000 feet when the crew transmitted, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.”
Air traffic controllers directed the aircraft to return to Abuja for an emergency landing after the crew reported that a door had opened mid-flight.
Airport fire and rescue personnel, emergency responders and medical teams were immediately alerted and placed on standby ahead of the aircraft’s return.
At about 4:29 pm UTC, the crew contacted the control tower to ask whether controllers could confirm if the door was open. However, the duty air traffic controller was unable to determine its condition using binoculars because of the aircraft’s position.
“The duty air traffic controller attempted to observe the aircraft using binoculars, but could not establish the door’s condition because of the aircraft’s position. The crew was subsequently informed that the controller could not confirm the situation visually,” the report said.
The aircraft landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 pm UTC, about 14 minutes after the Mayday call. Following the landing, the controller observed that the door was missing from the aircraft’s fuselage.
The jet was subsequently moved to the international apron extension and parked with the assistance of a marshaller.
Meanwhile, a video obtained by The PUNCH showed the missing door, which farmers reportedly found on a farm in the Abuja area while returning from their work.
In the video, a man whose identity could not be established said, “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. As I am sending it to you, sir, just check it.”
The number of passengers aboard the aircraft had not been confirmed as of the time of filing this report.
