The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has commenced an investigation into an incident involving a foreign-registered Challenger 604 aircraft operated by Triton Aviation, which lost its door mid-air shortly after departing Abuja for Lagos.
The aircraft, with registration number T7-SEI, had departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at 16:12 UTC on Thursday. It was about three nautical miles from the airport and climbing through 3,500 feet when the crew declared a ‘may day’ following the separation of the door from the aircraft.
This was contained in a statement made available to Sunday PUNCH by the NSIB.
According to the NSIB, the aircraft returned to Abuja and landed safely on Runway 22 at 16:34 UTC, with nine persons on board, comprising three crew members and six passengers.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that serious incident had prompted an emergency response at the Abuja airport, with fire and rescue personnel and medical teams placed on standby ahead of the aircraft’s return.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority had earlier confirmed the incident, noting that the investigation fell under the purview of the NSIB.
The bureau said it would provide further updates as the investigation progresses.
