A private jet operated by Triton Aviation has made an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after losing a door mid-air shortly after take-off on Thursday.
The CL60 aircraft, with registration number T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, was en route to Lagos when the incident occurred at about 4:20 pm.
According to an incident report, the aircraft took off from Runway 22 at 4:17 pm UTC. About three nautical miles from the airport, while climbing through 3,000 feet, the crew issued a distress call, declaring: “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.”
Air traffic controllers directed the aircraft back to Abuja for an emergency landing, while airport fire and rescue personnel, emergency teams and medical staff were placed on standby.
The crew later asked air traffic control whether the door could be seen open. However, the duty controller reportedly could not confirm its condition because of the aircraft’s position.
The jet eventually landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 pm UTC, about 14 minutes after the Mayday call. After landing, the controller observed that the door was missing from the aircraft’s fuselage.
The aircraft was subsequently moved to the international apron extension.
Meanwhile, a video obtained by The PUNCH showed the missing door, reportedly recovered by farmers from a farm in the Abuja area.
In the video, a man said: “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.”
The number of passengers on board had not been confirmed as of the time of reporting.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the incident but said the investigation fell under the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
A source at the NSIB reportedly confirmed that investigators had been deployed and that an official statement would be issued in due course.
Triton Aviation had yet to comment on the incident as of the time of filing the report.
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