By Adesina Soyooye
“Since the strange landing of the jet on Ogwashi-Uku road, and its more strange taking-off without clearance, most strange is that nobody has disclosed the identities of the passengers who disembarked from it at the scene of landing.”
For strangely landing a private jet on a road in Ogwashi Uku, Delta State, two Pilots have been barred from flying within Nigeria’s Airspace.
The two Pilots were suspended by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The Pilot and First Officer of the jet, strangely landed on a road in Delta State, thus attracting the penalty barring them from operating within Nigerian airspace pending the outcome of an investigation into the incident.
NCAA Director-General, Captain Chris Najomo, disclosed this while speaking to Journalists, Wednesday, on the sidelines of the Airport Business Summit in Lagos. He, also disclosed that the Authority grounded the aircraft and suspended its Permit for Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF), thus preventing it from flying until the conclusion of investigations.
The DG, however, did not disclose the identities of the passengers it transported to Delta who disembarked as soon as it landed on the Ogwashi-Uku road.
Najomo revealed that the investigation has been taken from the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) which initially handled the matter, and transferred to the NCAA for a regulatory probe.
He said: “The investigation is still ongoing. The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has handed the investigation to us. We are carrying out our own investigation. As we speak, the aircraft is grounded and the Permit for Non-Commercial Flight has been suspended.”
Expressing concern at the unusual landing, Najomo, a very accomplished Pilot said: “As a pilot for 45 years, I can’t see a road and land on it. We also have to examine other possible motives. The DSS is involved and carrying out its own investigation. Until that process is completed, the suspension remains.”
Recall that Nigeria’s Aviation Industry was shaken in June when a private jet with registration number N989BC, operated by VMO Aero Ltd, landed on a road in the Ogwashi-Uku area of Delta State.
On board were four crew members, and yet to be disclosed number of passengers whose identities are still unknown. On landing it departed the scene and returned to Lagos without obtaining the necessary regulatory clearance.
The incident has been a subject of speculations and investigation since then.
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