FELIX NWANERI

The aircraft which had 85 passengers and six crew members on board, was said to have developed hydraulic failure about 75 nautical miles after take-off from the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. It was going to Kano via Abuja.

The incident occurred a few weeks after both Chanchangi and EAS Airlines’ aircraft overshot the runways of the Lagos and Jos airports respectively, spilling fear down the spines of over 150 passengers in both planes.

The two incidents which were blamed on flooding on the runways, attracted suspension of both airlines’ pilots due to what the Minister of Aviation, Mallam Isa Yuguda, described as negligence of duty.

According to the spokesman of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr. Sam Adurogboye, who confirmed the IRS Airlines near mishap, the pilot aircraft with registration number 5N-600, had to seek permission for an air return when he noticed a hydraulic failure, 75 nautical miles after take-off around 12.20p.m. yesterday.

Mr. Adurogboye disclosed that the right wing undercarriage of the aircraft collapsed on its return to MMA, forcing the plane to halt abruptly while it was taxing on the runway after landing safely.

The NCAA spokesman added that the Accident Investigation Panel Bureau (AIPB) of the authority has commenced investigations into the matter, stressing that a comprehensive report is expected in three months time.

Reacting to the incident, Director of Operations, IRS Airlines, Mr. Kenneth Wemambu, said that there was no tyre burst during the incident which subsequently forced the airline to reschedule its operations, noting that men of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Fire and Safety department handled the incident with utmost efficiency.