Aircraft Loses Door Shortly After Take-Off In Abuja

A CL60 aircraft operated by Triton Aviation has made an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after losing a door shortly after take-off.

The aircraft, with registration number T7-SEI, was heading to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos when its crew discovered that a door had opened during the flight.

The incident occurred on Thursday, October 15, shortly after the aircraft departed Abuja at 4:17 pm.

According to a serious incident report, the aircraft was about three nautical miles from the airport and flying at an altitude of 3,000 feet when the crew made an emergency distress call at 4:20 pm.

The crew alerted air traffic controllers that a door had opened while the aircraft was in the air, prompting officials to direct the flight back to Abuja for an emergency landing.

The aircraft was instructed to return using Runway 22, the same runway from which it had departed.

Following the distress call, airport officials alerted the fire service and medical team to prepare for a possible emergency. The airport’s fire watch room was also informed about the situation, while emergency personnel were directed to position themselves at designated locations.

At about 4:29 pm, the crew contacted Abuja Tower and asked air traffic control officials whether they could see the open door.

The duty air traffic controller attempted to inspect the aircraft using binoculars but could not confirm the condition of the door because of the aircraft’s position. The crew was informed that the controller could not clearly see it.

The aircraft continued its return to the airport as officials remained prepared to respond to any emergency that might occur during the landing.

At 4:34 pm, the CL60 aircraft landed safely on Runway 22 without any reported difficulty during the landing process.

After touching down, the aircraft’s body was clearly visible to the duty air traffic controller, who confirmed that the door was missing.

The aircraft was subsequently moved to the extension of the international apron, where it was parked with the assistance of a marshaller.

The incident raised concerns about what happened to the aircraft’s door shortly after take-off and how the situation developed while the flight was still close to the Abuja airport.

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), which is responsible for investigating aircraft accidents and serious incidents in Nigeria, has commenced an investigation into the incident.

The bureau’s media team confirmed that the incident occurred and disclosed that investigators had been deployed to examine the circumstances surrounding the event.

The NSIB is expected to release an official statement providing further details about the incident as the investigation progresses.

The investigation is expected to establish what caused the aircraft’s door to open or become detached during the flight and determine the circumstances that led to the emergency return to Abuja.

The safe landing allowed the aircraft to return to the airport after the crew raised the alarm, while the relevant authorities began examining the incident.