Aircraft loses door mid-air, makes emergency landing in Abuja

An aircraft operated by Triton Aviation made an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday after its crew reported that a door had opened mid-air shortly after take-off.

The aircraft, a CL60 with registration number T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, was departing Abuja for the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, when the incident occurred.

According to a serious incident report, the aircraft took off from Runway 22 at 4:17 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and, about three nautical miles from the airport, was climbing at 3,000 feet when the crew issued a distress call at 4:20 p.m.

The crew reported an open door in flight, prompting air traffic controllers to direct the aircraft back to Abuja for an emergency landing.

Airport fire and rescue personnel and the medical team were subsequently alerted and placed on standby in preparation for the aircraft’s return.

The incident report stated that at about 4:29 p.m. UTC, the crew asked the Abuja control tower to confirm whether 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 crew was informed that the controller could not visually confirm the situation.

The aircraft landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 p.m. UTC, about 14 minutes after the Mayday call.

After landing, the controller observed that the aircraft’s door was missing from the fuselage.

The aircraft was subsequently taxied to the international apron extension, where it was parked with the assistance of a marshaller.

Meanwhile, a video circulating on social media appears to show the aircraft’s missing door. In the footage, an unidentified man said some farmers found the door while returning from their farm in the Abuja area.

He suggested that it had fallen from an aircraft but did not provide further details about the discovery. The circumstances surrounding the reported discovery have not been independently verified as of the time of filing this report.

The cause of the incident and the circumstances surrounding the door’s detachment have not been established.

The number of people on board is also not immediately available.

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The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) confirmed that the incident occurred and said investigators have been deployed.

“Yes, it happened. The investigators are there. We will be releasing an official statement shortly,” the bureau’s media team said.

The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, also confirmed the incident but said the NSIB has jurisdiction.

However, Triton Aviation could not be reached for comment when this report was filed.