Drama In Nigerian Airspace As Aircraft Door Falls Off During Flight To Lagos

A CL60 aircraft operated by Triton Aviation was forced to return to Abuja after losing a door mid-air shortly after taking off from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the incident occurred on Thursday when the aircraft, registered as T7-SEI and operating under flight identification DWC052, was travelling to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

An incident report indicated that the crew discovered that a door had opened during the flight and immediately alerted air traffic control, prompting the aircraft to be redirected to Abuja for an emergency landing.

The aircraft reportedly departed Runway 22 at 4:17 p.m. UTC. About three nautical miles from the airport, while climbing through 3,000 feet, the crew issued a distress call, repeatedly declaring, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.”

Following the alert, airport firefighters, emergency response personnel and medical teams were placed on standby in preparation for the aircraft’s return. Fire and rescue teams were also positioned at designated locations to respond if necessary.

At approximately 4:29 p.m. UTC, while communicating with the Abuja control tower, the crew asked air traffic controllers whether they could determine if the door was open.

The duty air traffic controller reportedly attempted to inspect the aircraft with binoculars but could not establish the door’s condition because of the aircraft’s position. The crew was subsequently informed that the situation could not be confirmed visually.

The aircraft eventually landed safely on Runway 22 at about 4:34 p.m. UTC, approximately 14 minutes after the Mayday call.

After the landing, the duty controller observed that the door was missing from the aircraft’s fuselage, confirming the seriousness of the incident.

The jet was subsequently guided to the international apron extension and parked with the assistance of a marshaller.

In a related development, a video reportedly showed the missing aircraft door after it was recovered from a farm in the Abuja area. A man speaking in the footage said local farmers discovered the door while returning from their farmland.

“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. As I am sending it to you, sir, just check it,” the man said.

The circumstances surrounding the door’s detachment were not immediately established in the available report. The incident raises questions about the aircraft’s technical condition and the circumstances that led to the emergency, although further investigation would be needed to determine the cause.