Another Air Plane Tragedy Averted

Source: BABATOLA MICHAEL - thewillnigeria.com


LAGOS, June 11, (THEWILL) – An aircraft belonging to Nigerian local carrier, Chachangi Airlines Nigerian Limited on Friday evening lost one of its engines shortly after take-off from the Lagos domestic wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, on a flight to Kaduna.


The Boeing plane B737-400 with registration number 5N-BIF with about 105 passengers including crew was given priority to return to Lagos after the pilot communicated the sudden engine failure to the control tower.


THEWILL learnt from aviation sources that birds have been identified as the cause of the engine failure which they warned could have been fatal.


Aviation experts have often reported that birds are responsible for a good portion of aviation disasters, especially when it involves engine failures.


After the plane managed to land, experts from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) went to the aircraft on the tarmac to inspect and ascertain the level of damage.


The Director General of the NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren while confirming the incident to the media, said the aircraft had a 'successful emergency landing' adding that the agency was on top of the situation.


The Nigerian aviation industry has been under scrutiny for a while after a series of fatal crashes a few years ago.


Just last quarter, passengers on an Aero Contractors plane from Abuja to Lagos had a scary encounter due to bad weather.


In another similar incident, a Lufthansa plane LH562 from Frankfurt to Abuja/Malabo hovered for hours in Abuja airspace and was unable to land due to bad weather. The aircraft had to be diverted to Lagos for refueling before it made the Malabo leg of the journey and then finally made it to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.