Fresh information has emerged on why the Dana Airline flight from Abuja to Port Harcourt almost crashed last Tuesday after it overshot the runway at the Port Harcourt International Airport.
A passenger who was at the airport at the time of the incident told reporters that a pilot error caused the near-mishap.
Mr. Orji who was waiting to board an Aero Airline flight to Lagos said two other aircrafts had approached the airport but could not land due to what he described as “very bad weather.”
According to him, Arik Air and Aero Contractors’ flights had earlier appeared in the airport vicinity when a terrible windstorm swept through the facility.
“Even those of us who were at the departure hall could feel the vibration of the wind and heavy downpour. It was becoming impossible to see from afar,” he said.
“The rain started shortly after an announcement was made about the expected time of arrival of Arik, Aero Contractors and Dana Air.
“With the fierceness of the wind and the heavy downpour, it was predictable that none of the aircraft could land.
“But suddenly, Dana came in and dangerously hit the runway and skidded into the bush.”
However, an angry staff of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) told this newspaper the near-crash incident was caused by the pilot.
The staff who said she witnessed the crash of the Sosoliso Airline at the airport said she was speaking up to avoid a situation where the public would be fed with lies about what happened.
“I saw what happened on December 10, 2005, when Sosoliso Airline rammed into the runway of this airport and busted into flames with 110 persons on board,” the source said.
“Till today, a lot of Nigerians do not know exactly what happened. Many are not also aware of the report of the (AIB) Accident Investigation Bureau.
“I am speaking out because Nigerians need to know what happened. No law should stop people from telling the truth especially when it has to do with overriding public interest,” the source said.
She said while the weather was partly responsible for the near-mishap, the pilot greatly contributed to the situation.
According to her, four aircrafts had approached the airport at the time windstorm and heavy rains swept through the facility.
She listed the airlines as Arik Air, Aero Contractors, Dana Air and Air France.
Continuing, she said, “Before Dana approached, Arik had already come but could not land because the weather was below the state minima level as prescribed by NCAA (Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority).
“Aero Contractor aircraft also approached but could not land. Then Dana came in from Abuja and wanted to land despite the very bad weather.
“From the control tower, we learnt that Arik pilot called his Dana counterpart and warned him not to attempt a landing. We also learnt the pilot on the Aero Contractor flight also advised the Dana pilot not to attempt a landing. The two aircraft were still holding up hoping for the weather to improve.
“At the same time, Air France approached the airspace but could not land and had to pick a hold for the weather to improve.
“Suddenly, the Dana pilot announced he was going to land. The approach controller immediately transferred him to the control tower. But he failed to call the tower or get back to the approach controller.
“Not getting communication from the pilot, we learnt the tower called the Dana pilot several times and he refused to answer.
“At that point, the air traffic controller at the tower reported back to the approach controller that the Dana pilot had failed to establish contact.
“Meanwhile, NIMET immediately issued a short report to the effect that there was a wind-shear at the station, meaning no landing clearance should be given as an attempt to land could turn fatal.
“It was only then that the Dana pilot called the tower saying, ‘I have your field in sight,’ meaning he had sighted the runway.
“The tower advised him about the NIMET report but seconds later, the aircraft landed almost three-quarters of the length of the runway.
“That means instead of landing from the beginning of the runway, it landed almost after half of the runway.
“Because of the speed of the wind and the slippery nature of the runway, the aircraft skidded into the clearway.
“There were 44 passengers on board the airline and five crew members, making it a total of 49 persons,” the source said.
The management of Dana had blamed “inclement weather” for the incident, saying the pilots encountered “very stormy weather and strong winds upon landing”.
It assured its customers of their safety saying, “We shall continue to adhere strictly to high standards and recommended practices as required by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.”
“We commend the pilot-in-command who was able to control the aircraft to a complete stop, before passengers and crew disembarked,” Dana spokesperson, Kinsley Ezenwa said.
FAAN had also blamed the incident on bad weather occasioned by torrential rain at the time of landing.
When confronted with fresh revelations by this news, Mr. Ezenwa said the incident is already being investigated by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).
“We are already cooperating with the AIB in its investigation apart from the internal investigation we are carrying out to determine what actually happened,” he said.
The AIB spokesperson, Tunji Oketunbi, has also confirmed the agency has dispatched investigators to Port Harcourt to look into the incident.
Mr. Oketunbi, made this known on Wednesday while speaking to journalists in Lagos.
Dana’s Many Troubles in 2018
On January 27, the airline ran into a fence at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja shortly after landing.
The flight with registration number 5N-DEV from Port Harcourt was said to have brushed a fence while trying to park.
Sources at the airport and passengers on the flight blamed the aircraft’s pilot for the incident.
They claimed the pilot hit the steel fence when he failed to wait for Air Peace aircraft which had landed earlier to park properly.
The FAAN spokesperson, Henrietta Yakubu, had confirmed the development but said the plane only hit a noise breaker stationed on the tarmac.
On February 8, an emergency door of the aircraft flung open as it was landing at the NAIA.
An amateur video footage of the incident had gone viral almost immediately and the footage showed some passengers watching in shock while other struggled to capture the unusual scene on their phones.
Its spokesperson, Mr. Ezenwa confirmed the development but said a passenger might have tampered with the door.
Spokesman of the NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, also confirmed the incident adding that a four-man team from the agency had inspected the aircraft for airworthiness before it returned to Lagos for further probe.
