About 127 people escaped death on Wednesday in separate incidents involving three aircraft. A Boeing 737 aircraft belonging to Chanchangi Airlines, which took off from the Owerri Airport at about 11am had to make a return three minutes after following the loss of one of its two engines.
It had 108 people on board.
While men of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Accident Investigation Bureau immediately began investigation into the incident, the airline cancelled all its flights from Owerri to Lagos for the day.
Another DC-10 30F cargo aircraft belonging to Gemini Air Cargo but chartered by DHL, also did an emergency landing following the failure of its landing gear to retract shortly after it took off from the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja at about 2.53pm.
The aircraft, marked N602 GC, was on its way to Belgium. It had five persons on board.
The pilot of the aircraft, Captain Thomas Killian, had made a distress call to the MMA control tower at about 3pm.
It was learnt that he was directed to discharge fuel in the ocean before the aircraft eventually landed safely at the 18R/36L runway of the MMA at 3.32pm.
Fire service officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria with four fire tenders carrying 11,000 litres of water, 1,200 litres of foam and 158kg DCP each, escorted the aircraft to the cargo apron.
Though hydraulic failure was suspected, the aircraft engineer, who was at the tarmac, could not ascertain the cause of the problem.
Men of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority were said to have rushed to the scene to investigate the incident.
Another ATR 42 aircraft belonging to Overland Airways, which was on its way to Ilorin also made an air return shortly after take off from the MMA at about 5pm.
FAAN fire men were also at hand to assist another Beechcraft aircraft belonging to Mobil Oil, whose pilot had, at about 5.30pm alerted the control tower of a cabin pressure problem.
Mudiaga Affe
The Punch
Thursday, September 6, 2007
