A serious aviation incident was recorded in Abuja on Thursday after a Triton Aviation aircraft CL600 made a Mayday distress call shortly after departing the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA).
The CL60 is a designation commonly used for aircraft in the Bombardier Challenger 600 series, a family of large-cabin business jets designed for executive and corporate travel. Depending on the variant, the aircraft can carry passengers over several thousand kilometres and is widely used for business and charter operations.
The aircraft, which was travelling from Abuja to Lagos, reportedly lost a door while in flight, forcing the crew to turn back and make an emergency landing at the Abuja airport.
The aircraft landed safely, and no crash was recorded.
According to an incident report obtained by The Guardian, the aircraft, with registration number T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, departed Abuja for the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, at about 4:17 p.m. UTC.
The aircraft was reportedly about three nautical miles from the airport and climbing through 3,000 feet when the crew declared an emergency by transmitting, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.”
Aircraft door reportedly opened and fell off in flight
The crew informed air traffic control that a door had opened during the flight, prompting the approach radar controller to instruct the aircraft to return to Abuja for an emergency landing.
Following the distress call, the airport’s fire watch room and medical team were alerted and placed on standby.
Fire and emergency response personnel were also directed to designated positions at A4 and A5 in preparation for the aircraft’s return.
The incident report stated that at about 4:29 p.m. UTC, while communicating with the Abuja control tower, the crew asked whether air traffic controllers could determine if the door was open.
The duty air traffic controller attempted to observe the aircraft with binoculars but could not establish the condition of the door because of the aircraft’s position.
The crew was subsequently informed that the controller could not visually confirm the situation.
Aircraft lands safely at Abuja airport
The aircraft landed safely on Runway 22 at about 4:34 p.m. UTC, approximately 14 minutes after the Mayday call.
Following the landing, the duty air traffic controller observed that the aircraft’s door was missing from the fuselage, confirming that the incident involved the loss of the door while the aircraft was airborne.
The aircraft was later taxied to the international apron extension, where it was parked with the assistance of a marshaller.
At about 4:40 p.m. UTC, the crew reported that the marshaller was in sight before the aircraft was moved into its designated parking position.
Missing Triton Aviation aircraft door found on Abuja farm
A video obtained by The Guardian also showed what appeared to be the missing aircraft door after it was found by farmers in a bush or farmland in Abuja.
In the video, a man whose identity could not immediately be established said the farmers discovered the object while returning from their farm.
He said they believed it had fallen from an aircraft but were unsure of its identity.
The discovery of the door on the ground further indicated that the component had separated from the aircraft during the flight.
NCAA confirms incident
The number of passengers on board the aircraft was not immediately available.
Triton Aviation, the operator of the aircraft, could not be reached for comment as of the time of filing this report.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, confirmed that an incident had occurred but said the agency could not comment further.
Achimugu said the matter was under the purview of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
NSIB deploys investigators
The NSIB also confirmed the serious aviation incident.
The bureau’s media team said its management had deployed investigators to the scene to establish what happened and determine the circumstances surrounding the loss of the aircraft door.
The bureau is expected to issue an official statement after its preliminary investigation.
The incident comes amid renewed attention to aviation safety and aircraft maintenance in Nigeria, particularly the importance of ensuring that aircraft components, doors and other critical systems are properly inspected and secured before and during flight.
Further details, including the cause of the door separation, the condition of the aircraft and the number of people on board, are expected to emerge as the NSIB investigation progresses.
