Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Abuja After Losing Door

An aircraft from Triton Aviation had to make an emergency landing at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Thursday. This happened after the crew said a door opened mid-air shortly after they took off.

The aircraft, a CL60 with registration number T7-SEI, was on its way to Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos when the problem occurred.

A serious incident report showed that the plane took off from Runway 22 at 4:17 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). About three nautical miles from the airport, while climbing to 3,000 feet, the crew made a distress call at 4:20 p.m.

They reported that a door was open during the flight. Air traffic controllers then directed the aircraft back to Abuja for an emergency landing.

Fire and rescue teams at the airport were put on standby, ready for the aircraft’s return. The incident report noted that at around 4:29 p.m. UTC, the crew asked the control tower in Abuja to check if the door was still open.

The duty air traffic controller tried to see the aircraft with binoculars but could not determine the door’s state due to the aircraft’s position. The crew was told that the controller could not visually confirm what was happening.

The aircraft landed safely on Runway 22 at about 4:34 p.m. UTC, about 14 minutes after the Mayday call. After landing, the controller noticed that the door was missing from the plane's body.

The aircraft was then taxied to the international apron extension and parked with help from a marshaller. Meanwhile, a video making the rounds on social media seems to show the missing door. In the video, an unidentified man said some farmers found the door while returning from their farm in the Abuja area.

He claimed that the door had fallen from a plane but did not share any other details about how it was found. The situation of the door's discovery has not been independently verified as of now.

The cause of the incident and how the door came off are still not clear. The number of people on board has also not been disclosed.

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) confirmed the incident and said investigators had been sent to the scene. "Yes, it happened. The investigators are there. We will be releasing an official statement shortly," the bureau’s media team stated.

Michael Achimugu, who is the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), also confirmed the incident. He stated that the NSIB is in charge of the investigation.

Triton Aviation could not be contacted for comments at the time this report was written.