The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau as well as the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority have launched an investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the Max Air aircraft mishap, which occurred on Sunday afternoon at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Nairametrics reported that with 144 passengers and six members of the flight crew on board, the Boeing 737 with the flight number NGL1649 and registration number 5N-MBD departed Yola Airport for Abuja.
The aircraft then lost some tyres on landing at Abuja Airport, but the flight crew managed to stop it safely on Runway 22 at 14:57 local time.
According to the General Manager, NSIB, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, the bureau had sent some of its investigators to the location of the accident to conduct an investigation.
Additionally, the inspectors of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, General Manager of Public Affairs, according to Mr. Sam Adurogboye, have started an investigation into the event.
Mr. Adurogboye added that the NSIB and NCAA would investigate the situation thoroughly to ascertain its cause and offer pertinent recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The Director-General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Musa Nuhu, said in a statement on Monday that all passengers were successfully evacuated and that the airport’s emergency services, such as the rescue and fire fighting services response, were exceptional.
According to him, the aircraft’s damaged wheels had been fixed, and it had already powered down the runway to a designated parking spot.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria FAAN, NCAA, NAMA, NSIB, and other pertinent organizations, he continued, “swung into action cooperatively to ensure the swift removal of the disabled aircraft from the runway and reopening of the airport for flight operations.
“Officials from the NCAA, FAAN, and NAMA examined and swept the runway for damage and debris before deeming it safe. The airport was then reopened so that flight operations could resume after 8 o’clock.”
However, Nuhu bemoaned dramatic media accounts of the occurrence that classified it as a crash landing and subsequently frightened and worried travelers.
When in doubt about any report, he urged the media to seek clarifications and details.
He pledged that the NCAA and other aviation organizations would go to great lengths to ensure that safe flight operations continued in Nigeria.
