Private jet door falls off at 3,500 feet, forcing emergency landing
Abuja: A private jet carrying nine people was forced to make an emergency landing in Nigeria after one of its doors detached thousands of feet above the ground, prompting a Mayday distress call and an emergency response at the airport. The Challenger 604 aircraft, operated by Triton Aviation, was flying from the Nigerian capital, Abuja, to Lagos on Thursday, October 15, when the incident occurred…
An emergency landing was required for a private jet carrying nine individuals after its door detached roughly 3,500 feet above the ground near Abuja, Nigeria. The Triton Aviation-operated Challenger 604 was en route from Abuja to Lagos when the incident occurred shortly after takeoff from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Thursday, October 15th.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) reported that the aircraft was about three nautical miles from the airport when the crew declared a Mayday distress signal. Air traffic controllers ordered the pilots to return to Abuja, while emergency services prepared for the aircraft's arrival. Despite initial confusion over whether the detached door remained attached, the aircraft landed safely on Runway 22 at Abuja airport.
No injuries were reported, and all six passengers and three crew members were accounted for. The missing door was later recovered from farmland near Abuja and secured for examination at the NSIB's wreckage hangar. Officials are investigating the cause of the door separation, with Captain Alex Badeh Jr, the bureau's director-general, stating an inquiry is ongoing.
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