Private jet loses door at 3,000 feet in Abuja
The crew of a CL60 aircraft registered as T7-SEI, operating under flight identification DWC052, declared a “Mayday” emergency and returned for an emergency landing on Tuesday. The incident occurred around 4:20 p.m. UTC while the aircraft was en route from Abuja to Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.
According to an incident report, the aircraft took off from Runway 22 at 4:17 p.m. UTC and was approximately three nautical miles from the airport, climbing through 3,000 feet, when the crew made the distress call.
In response to the emergency, the airport’s fire watch and medical teams were alerted and placed on standby. Fire and emergency personnel were positioned at locations A4 and A5 in anticipation of the aircraft’s return.
At around 4:29 p.m. UTC, while in communication with the Abuja control tower, the crew inquired whether air traffic controllers could confirm the status of the cabin door. The duty air traffic controller attempted to visually inspect the aircraft with binoculars, but was unable to ascertain the door’s condition due to its location.
The aircraft safely landed back on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 p.m. UTC, 14 minutes after the Mayday alert. After landing, it was observed that the door was missing from the aircraft’s fuselage, highlighting the seriousness of the situation.
Following the emergency landing, the aircraft was taxied to the international apron extension and parked with assistance from a marshaller.
Meanwhile, a viral video surfaced allegedly showing the missing aircraft door, reportedly recovered by farmers from a field in Abuja. In the video, a man, whose identity was not confirmed, claimed the item was found while he and others were returning from their farm.
“This is what we found as we were returning from our farm. It fell from a plane, but we don’t know much about its identity,” he said in the recording.
The number of passengers aboard the aircraft at the time of the incident has not yet been disclosed, and attempts to reach Triton Aviation, the operator of the jet, for comment were unsuccessful.
Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), confirmed the incident but stated that further comments would be issued by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), which has also acknowledged the occurrence.
A source at the NSIB indicated that investigators have been dispatched to look into the matter further, noting that an official statement will be released soon.
