Nigeria has recorded several air mishaps involving passenger planes by operators of domestic airliners especially in the last two years.
The recent air incident by an aircraft belonging to XeJet airline at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos has again increased fears of all passengers about the Domestic airlines operators in Nigeria.
This chronicle of Nigeria’s frequent flight mishaps in the past two years by AIT’s Funke ogunlolu comes amid sanctions and recommendations by regulatory bodies.
In the last two years, Nigeria aviation sector has experienced more air incidents than previous years but not fatal as no casualties were recorded.
The series of recommendations and sanctions by the regulatory bodies, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authorities, NCAA and the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB have not addressed the root cause of the challenges confronting the aviation industry in Nigeria.
In the last 24 months, over 15 incidents and one tragic crash have been recorded with the Nigeria Military air operations being the most affected recording the highest air mishaps.
The first was on January, 2022 when the then Accident investigation bureau, AIB was notified by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA about an accident at the Bauchi airport involving a Bell 429 helicopter with Registration Marks 5N-MDA owned and operated by Nigerian Police Force, NPF.
The helicopter had departed Abuja for Bauchi with Six persons on board before crashing, but there were some injuries nor fatality.
The incident left the Bauchi airport in total darkness.
In April, a Nigerian Air Force, NAF, Super Mushshak trainer aircraft crashed in Kaduna State. The Super Mushshak aircraft was carrying out a training flight from the Nigerian Air Force’s 401 Flight Training School in Kaduna when it went down, killing both pilots – an instructor and a trainee pilot
Also in the same year, July 19th, Dana airline’s Boeing 737-300 from Enugu to Abuja with over 100 passengers on board declared an emergency landing on approach into Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport .
In February 2023, Nigeria Air Force, NAF was fortunate not to record a crash after one of its jets lost its tyre mid-air and made an emergency landing on its belly at the murtala mohammed international airport, Lagos state.
In the same year, a United Nigeria Airlines aircraft, 5N-BWW, with 50 passengers on board, flying in from the airport in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state, also skidded off runway at the Murtala MMA2 in Lagos.
The aircraft landed safely but was forced to terminate its movement to the apron of the runway.
Also on November 5th,2023, Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and 12 other passengers and flight crew narrowly escaped a tragic fate as their HS 125 aircraft, bearing nationality and registration marks 5N-AMM, operated by Flint Aero, crashed in Ibadan, Oyo State airport.
Remarkably, there were no fatalities, although the aircraft sustained significant damage.
On Sunday, November 12, 2023, a Boeing 737 passenger jet belonging to Aerocontractors Airlines crash-landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Although no injury or fatality was recorded, the nigeria safety investigation bureau, NSIB confirmed that the aircraft got involved in a “serious accident” around 10.47am upon arriving from Lagos. This led to the closure of the runway.
In the same month, United nigeria airlines wet-lease aircraft after it landed at the wrong airport, passengers on board were surprised when they were welcomed to Abuja, only to discover they had landed in Asaba airport due to wrong flight plan.
The NCAA immediately suspended the airlines operations.
At 2:22pm Nigerian time in March 2024, A Nigerian Air Force Super Mushshak trainer aircraft was involved in “a minor mishap” but the two pilots on board survived the crash.
The following month, One of nigeria leading airlines, airpeace aircraft, APK7193 had 243 passengers and 12 crew members on board, landed safely on Runway18L of the Lagos airport after fire personnel reportedly observed smoke from the engines.
The pilots immediately shut down the engines of the aircraft.
On April 23rd, An airplane operated by Dana Airline had veered off the runway at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, lagos.
The affected aircraft, a McDonald Douglas (MD-83) with registration 5N-BKI, had 83 passengers on board. They all disembarked unhurt.
The incident and several other mishaps, led to the suspension of its operations by the NCAA.
Sixteen days after, an aircraft belonging to XEJet Airlines skidded off runway 18L at the Murtala Muhammed Airport on Saturday. May 11th
The 5N-BZZ Airbus, with 52 passengers and three crew members on board, departed Abuja and landed in Lagos at 11.29 am.
On landing at the Lagos airport, the aircraft veered off the runway into the grass verge at the point of landing.
Data gathered by ait.live in the last seven years shows that these incidents resulted in the loss of 14 aircrafts and claimed the lives of 35 people, including civilians and military personnel on board the 14 military air crashes
Nigeria experienced several Military air crashes between 2015 and 2023 under the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
Experts have expressed concerns that despite the sanctions and recommendations by the regulatory bodies, air mishaps in the Nigeria airspace has remain unabated.
For the Military, the crashes have also imposed significant financial costs on its air operations and have diminished the number of operational aircraft in their fleet.
The Nigerian Air Force has recorded three crashes in 2023, including a belly landing without casualties.
It also recorded 16 Air crashes between 2015 and 2023, resulting in the loss of 17 aircrafts and 33 personnel.
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
