A private jet operated by Triton Aviation has made an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after losing a door at about 3,000 feet shortly after take-off.
The CL60 aircraft, with registration number T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, was en route to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, when the incident occurred at about 4:20 pm on Thursday.
According to an incident report obtained by our correspondent, the crew declared a Mayday emergency after informing air traffic controllers that a door had opened mid-flight.
The aircraft took off from Runway 22 at 4:17 pm UTC and was approximately three nautical miles from the airport, climbing through 3,000 feet, when the crew issued the distress call.
“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday,” the crew transmitted.
The approach radar controller subsequently directed the aircraft to return to Abuja for an emergency landing.
Airport fire and rescue personnel, emergency responders and medical teams were immediately alerted and placed on standby, while fire crews were deployed to designated positions ahead of the aircraft’s return.
At about 4:29 pm UTC, the crew asked the control tower whether it could confirm if the door was open.
The duty air traffic controller attempted to inspect the aircraft with binoculars but could not determine the door’s condition because of its position. The crew was informed that the controller could not visually confirm the situation.
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.
The jet was subsequently taxied to the international apron extension and parked with the assistance of a marshaller.
Meanwhile, a video obtained by our correspondent showed an object reported to be the missing aircraft door, which farmers allegedly recovered from a farm in the Abuja area.
In the video, a man whose identity could not be established said the farmers found the object 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. As I am sending it to you, sir, just check it,” he said.
The number of passengers on board the aircraft was not immediately known.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, confirmed the incident but said it fell under the jurisdiction of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
Although the NSIB had yet to issue an official statement, a source in the agency confirmed the seriousness of the incident, adding that the bureau’s management had deployed investigators and would make an official announcement.
Triton Aviation, the aircraft’s operator, could not be reached for comment as of the time of filing this report.