By Abubakar Yunusa
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has raised serious safety concerns after rescue teams took nearly two hours to reach a private jet that mistakenly landed on a road under construction near Asaba Airport, issuing three urgent recommendations to prevent a recurrence.
The bureau, in a preliminary report released on the June 10 incident, directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, in collaboration with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, to develop and enforce national procedures for managing aircraft involved in accidents or serious incidents outside designated runways.
The Challenger 601-3A aircraft, operated by VMO Aero Limited, was travelling from Lagos to Asaba with seven people on board when it landed on the roadway at about 8:57pm after two unsuccessful approach attempts.
According to the NSIB, the aircraft remained at the site for about two hours before taking off directly from the road.
The bureau said NAMA informed investigators that its duty air traffic controller reported rescue personnel arriving at the scene at about 9:32pm, adding that the aircraft appeared undamaged and the passengers had already left the area.
However, the pilot-in-command and second-in-command disputed that account, insisting that no airport rescue or emergency personnel physically reached the aircraft before it departed.
Instead, the pilot said he personally inspected the aircraft’s structure, landing gear, tyres and the road surface before concluding it was safe to fly.
The NSIB said the incident exposed significant gaps in post-accident aircraft management, emergency coordination, technical assessment and evidence preservation.
The investigation also revealed that the Asaba Airport control tower’s voice-recording system was unserviceable throughout the incident.
As a result, investigators relied on reconstructed operational records instead of actual audio recordings of communications between the aircraft and air traffic controllers.
The report further disclosed that concerns had been raised before the aircraft departed Lagos.
An observer pilot reportedly noticed discrepancies while the Flight Management System was being programmed and alerted the crew.
According to the bureau, the pilot-in-command dismissed the concerns, telling the observer not to interfere because he was not certified on the aircraft type and was travelling only in an observational capacity.
Both pilots later admitted experiencing difficulties while programming the flight before departure.
To address the identified lapses, the NSIB recommended that the NCAA establish national procedures governing aircraft involved in accidents or serious incidents outside runways, including mandatory technical assessments by qualified personnel before such aircraft are allowed to fly again.
The bureau also directed FAAN to strengthen emergency response procedures to ensure prompt attendance to aircraft involved in accidents arouand certified aerodromes.
It further asked NAMA to review the reliability of voice-recording systems at controlled airports nationwide.
Although all seven occupants escaped unhurt, a post-flight inspection conducted in Lagos later discovered damage to the aircraft’s left nose-wheel assembly.
The NSIB said investigations are continuing, with further examination expected to focus on the aircraft’s navigation systems, VMO Aero’s crew resource management practices and the regulatory framework governing aircraft movement after accidents.
