A private jet in Nigeria was forced to make an emergency landing after one of its doors detached mid-air, thousands of feet above the ground. The Challenger 604 aircraft, operated by Triton Aviation, was flying from the Nigerian capital, Abuja, to Lagos on Thursday (Oct 15) when the incident occured shortly after take-off from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The incident prompted the pilots to issue a Mayday distress call and return to the airport, where emergency services were placed on standby. All nine people on board escaped unharmed. Earlier reporting noted: Private jet door detaches mid-air at 3,500 feet in Nigeria, pilots make emergency landing A private jet carrying nine people was forced to make an emergency landing in Nigeria after one of its doors detached mid-air at an altitude of around 3,500 feet. Earlier reporting noted: According to a report by Gulf News, the Challenger 604 aircraft, operated by Triton Aviation, was travelling from Abuja to Lagos on Thursday, October 15, when the incident occurred shortly after take-off from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
Earlier reporting noted: How the emergency unfolded How the emergency unfolded
The bureau’s director-general, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., confirmed that an investigation had begun to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. None of them suffered any injuries either. The missing door was later discovered near a farmland in Abuja and it has been kept at NSIB’s wreckage hangar for examination. Video footage circulating online showed people examining what appeared to be the detached aircraft component. Based on the preliminary investigation, no definitive cause has been determined. The investigators are probing if it was a mechanical failure, maintenance issue or another factor.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NISB) stated that the aircraft was roughly three nautical miles from the airport and climbing through 3,500 feet when the crew declared an emergency after the door separated from the plane’s body. After the emergency alert, the flight landed safely on Runway 22 at Abuja airport, where all passengers and crew members were accounted for.
