Farmers in Abuja have reportedly found a missing aircraft door on farmland after a Triton Aviation jet lost the door shortly after take-off from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, forcing its crew to declare a Mayday emergency.
The aircraft, a CL60 jet with registration number T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, was scheduled to fly from Abuja to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, when the incident occurred on Thursday.
An incident report obtained by our reporter indicated that the aircraft took off from Runway 22 at 4:17 p.m. UTC and was climbing through 3,000 feet, about three nautical miles from the airport, when the crew declared an emergency at approximately 4:20 p.m. UTC.
According to the report, the crew informed air traffic controllers that a door had opened in flight, prompting the approach radar controller to direct the aircraft back to Abuja for an emergency landing.
Following the distress call, the airport’s fire watch room and medical team were alerted and instructed to remain on standby. Fire and emergency personnel were also directed to designated positions at A4 and A5 in preparation for the aircraft’s return.
The report stated that at about 4:29 p.m. UTC, while in contact with the Abuja control tower, the crew asked whether air traffic controllers could confirm if the door was open.
The duty air traffic controller attempted to observe the aircraft with binoculars but could not establish the door’s condition because of the aircraft’s position.
The aircraft eventually landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 p.m. UTC, about 14 minutes after the Mayday call.
After the landing, the duty controller observed that the door was missing from the aircraft’s fuselage, confirming the seriousness of the incident.
The aircraft was subsequently taxied to the international apron extension, where it was parked with the assistance of a marshaller.
Meanwhile, a viral video showed what was reportedly the missing aircraft door recovered by farmers on farmland in Abuja.
In the video, a male voice, whose identity could not be established as of the time of filing this report, said the farmers found the object while returning from their farm.
“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 voice said.
The number of passengers on board the aircraft could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.
When contacted, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, confirmed the incident but said the agency could not comment on it.
He said the incident fell under the purview of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.
The NSIB also confirmed the serious incident, with a source at the bureau disclosing that its management had deployed investigators to conduct further investigations.
The source added that an official statement would be issued soon.
The circumstances surrounding the detachment of the aircraft door remain unclear, pending the outcome of the investigation.
