A private jet operated by Triton Aviation has made an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after losing a door shortly after take-off, triggering a Mayday distress call and the activation of airport emergency services.
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The incident occurred on Thursday when the CL60 aircraft, with registration number T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, was heading to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
According to an incident report obtained by The PUNCH, the aircraft took off from Runway 22 at about 4:17 pm UTC. Approximately three nautical miles from the airport, while climbing through 3,000 feet, the crew issued a distress call.
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The report quoted the crew as transmitting, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday,” after a door reportedly opened and was lost during the flight.
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The incident raised concerns over the safety of the aircraft and its occupants, prompting air traffic controllers to direct the jet back to Abuja for an emergency landing.
Airport fire and rescue personnel, emergency responders and medical teams were immediately alerted and placed on standby as preparations were made for the aircraft’s return.
At about 4:29 pm UTC, the crew, while communicating with the Abuja control tower, asked whether air traffic controllers could confirm if the door was open.
The duty controller reportedly attempted to inspect the aircraft with binoculars but could not determine the door’s condition because of its position.
The aircraft eventually landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 pm UTC, about 14 minutes after the Mayday call.
Following the landing, the controller observed that the door was missing from the aircraft’s fuselage, confirming the crew’s report.
The jet was subsequently taxied to the international apron extension and parked with the assistance of a marshaller.
Missing door reportedly recovered on a farm
In a related development, a video obtained by The PUNCH showed the aircraft’s missing door, reportedly recovered by farmers from a farm in the Abuja area.
In the video, a man whose identity could not be independently established said the farmers discovered the door while 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,” the man said, appealing to the recipient of the video to help establish its origin.
The circumstances surrounding how the door became detached from the aircraft remain unclear, while the number of passengers on board had yet to be confirmed as of the time of filing the report.
Aviation authorities to investigate
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, confirmed the incident but declined to comment further, saying the matter fell under the jurisdiction of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.
Although the NSIB had yet to issue an official statement at the time of the report, a reliable source within the bureau confirmed the seriousness of the incident.
The source disclosed that the bureau’s management had deployed investigators to examine the circumstances surrounding the occurrence, adding that an official statement would be released in due course.
Triton Aviation, the aircraft’s operator, could not be reached for comment as of the time of filing the report.
The investigation is expected to establish what caused the door to detach mid-flight and determine whether any mechanical, maintenance or other safety-related factors contributed to the incident.
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