Plane crash averted in Lagos

An air crash was averted on Tuesday afternoon at the

Lagos airport as the tyre of a commercial aircraft

belonging to AeroContractors blew up just as the plane

was taking off.

It was gathered that the Abuja-bound aircraft, which

had over 100 passengers on board, successfully took off

but the pilot had to make an air return to the terminal

where it had departed.

Our correspondent learnt that all the passengers and

crew members on board the Aero flight NG127 from

Lagos to Abuja escaped unhurt as the pilot was able to

control the situation.

It was also gathered that the passengers, who still

wished to continue with their journey, were transferred

to other flights.

A passenger on board the flight, who simply identified

himself as Emma, told our correspondent that the

incident happened around 4pm and noted that there

was panic in the aircraft when the passengers sitting

close to the door noticed that the plane had lost a tyre.

He said, “It was as if the pilot didn’t even know that his

aircraft had lost a tyre because he took off from the

ground. It was after those of us who were close to the

door started screaming that he realised what had

happened.

“He later made an emergency return mid-air, and this

happened around 4pm. In fact, it was when we landed

that we noticed that it was a serious tyre burst. But

nobody was hurt and we must appreciate the pilot’s

maturity and professionalism in handling the situation

and landing the plane with a burst tyre.”

By 6.40pm when this report was filed, AeroContractors

had done 37 flights across the country and the

management of the carrier confirmed the incident, noting

that it ensured that it transported the affected

passengers to Abuja the same day.

The spokesperson for the airline, Mr. Simon Tumba, told

our correspondent that the situation was adequately

controlled, as no passenger or crew member sustained

any form of injury.

He said, “Aero flight NG127 from Lagos to Abuja on this

day (Tuesday) made an air return as a result of a burst

tyre, which occurred just as the airplane was lifting off.

The pilot did the right thing by not trying to abort the

take off.

“He controlled the airplane into the air and following all

training procedures, he brought the plane back to a safe

landing. At no time during all of this were the

passengers’ lives at any risk.”

Source: punch ng