NCAA, Air Peace refute reports of aircraft accident
By Adetunji Tobi
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has categorically denied any reported air accident involving Air Peace or any other airlines, Mr Sam Adurogboye, the General Manager, Public Relations, NCAA, said in a statement in Lagos, on Saturday.
Adurogboye said that the attention of the authority had been drawn to a sensational report that was trending that an aircraft belonging to Air Peace B737-500, with registration mark 5N-BQR, was involved in an air crash in Ilorin, on July 23.
“As a matter of fact, the said aircraft, which departed from Abuja successfully, landed in Ilorin. It only experienced a tyre burst in the course of taxiing.
“Meanwhile, all the 66 passengers and six crew members onboard were disembarked without any issues whatsoever on the same day.
“The Authority wishes to enjoin the travelling public to disregard such false and reckless presentations,” he said.
Adurogboye urged the media to partner, inculcate professionalism and avoid publishing false news that was capable of injuring blossoming reputations.
He said the NCAA was committed to ensuring safe and secure air transport in Nigeria and would stop at nothing to ensure that its record of over eight years of zero accident and fatality, in scheduled flight operations, continued.
Air Peace, in a statement described the report as “sensational publication of falsehood,” noting that no such incident happened.
“For the record, no such thing happened. The reports misrepresented and exaggerated the facts. We can confirm that the aircraft in question landed safely but had a minimal tyre burst while taxing,” the statement reads.
“This debunks all the mischievously headlined reports circulating online, which should be disregarded.
“Our aircraft neither crashed nor crash landed in Ilorin or in any place for that matter. This kind of sensationalism is bad and was intended to cause panic in the minds of the flying public.
“It was duly reported to the authorities and passengers disembarked seamlessly. The tyres have, however, been fixed and the aircraft is intact. We condemn sensational publication of falsehood.”
General manager corporate affairs of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Henrietta Yakubu said the airport runway is open.
“The airport is open now. Overland Airways landed by 0521hrs,” she said.
From record, in March 2021, an aircraft belonging to Air Peace had a tyre burst while landing at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
In the March accident, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) said no casualty was recorded as the 127 passengers and six crew members on board were rescued.
