The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Monday, April 8, announced that it has launched an investigation into a crash-landing incident involving a domestic airline in the country.
The incident occurred on Sunday, April 7, when an aircraft operated by the local Max Air, which was carrying more than 144 passengers made a crash-landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, after losing its landing wheels.
Fortunately, no casualties were reported, as all passengers and crew members on board were safely evacuated.
Musa Nuhu, director-general of the NCAA, said in a statement that the investigation, co-ordinated by the Nigeria Safety Investigation Board will look into all aspects of the incident.
“Several flights – both domestic and international flights – were stranded at Abuja airport, while incoming flights diverted to other airports,” Nuhu said,
Nuhu added that the airport was temporarily shut down due to the disabled aircraft on the runway, as Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport has only one runway.
Flight operations resumed late on Sunday, hours after the damaged wheels of the aircraft were replaced and the aircraft taxied on its power from the runway to an assigned parking position.
Nuhu assured the public that the NCAA will take all necessary measures to ensure that such incidents don’t recur in the future.
The investigation and the findings are expected to be made public when completed.