The investigation has commenced into the serious incident involving an Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft of United Nigeria Airlines that skidded off the runway of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos on Friday evening.
The aircraft with 55 people onboard and registration number: 5N-BWY, had skidded off the runway at about 6:33 pm on landing.
The aircraft had departed the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri for Lagos.
The airline attributed the serious incident to a downpour at the time of landing but said all passengers, including their luggage, were safely evacuated.
A statement by the Spokesman of NSIB on Saturday morning, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, confirmed the serious incident.
- NSIB said: “The aircraft on landing on Runway 18R of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, skidded off the runway.
There was no injury or fatality.
- “The NSIB, hereby, solicits information from the general public in the form of pictures, video or recording evidence to assist in conducting a comprehensive investigation.”
NSIB said it could be reached either through its website or social media platforms for useful information on the serious incident.
- The statement added: “The NSIB will appreciate that the general public and press respect the privacy of the people involved and NOT assume the cause of the serious incident until the formal report is released.”
Previous Incident
This is not the first time that the airline has been involved in a runway incident at Lagos Airport.
On May 31, 2023, one of the aircraft in the airline fleet, Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft with the registration number: 5N-BWW, skidded off the Lagos Airport runway.
The aircraft was carrying 50 passengers and crew members.
The aircraft was flying from the airport in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, to Lagos.
It landed safely on runway 18L, but then it veered off the runway before coming to a stop in a grassy area.
The incident led to the closure of the runway for about two hours by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), while the aircraft was removed.
