Aviation expert, Capt. John Ojikutu has criticised the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) for what he described as its silence over the circumstances surrounding the controversial highway landing by an aircraft originally headed for Asaba Airport.
Ojikutu said that despite widespread discussions on the incident, NAMA had yet to issue a statement on the meteorological conditions at Asaba Airport that reportedly prompted the pilot to execute a missed approach.
According to him, while the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had stated that the aborted landing at Asaba was a missed approach, it failed to provide details on the factors that necessitated the manoeuvre.
He argued that NAMA, under whose purview air traffic controllers operate, was better positioned to explain the weather and operational conditions prevailing at the airport at the time of the incident.
“In all the conversations we have been hearing, I have not read any statement from NAMA about the meteorological conditions at Asaba Airport that led the pilot to carry out a missed approach,” Ojikutu said.
The former commandant of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Command and Control Centre questioned the justification for the aircraft eventually landing on a highway, insisting that if Asaba Airport was unsuitable for landing due to safety concerns, nearby airports such as Osubi and Benin should have served as alternate destinations.
He alleged that the highway landing appeared deliberate rather than accidental, arguing that knowledge of the road and its suitable sections suggested prior planning.
“This flight was strategically planned to land on the highway. It was not by coincidence that they landed there,” he said.
Ojikutu also pointed to what he described as inconsistencies in reports surrounding the incident, raising concerns over possible violations of aviation regulations.
According to him, there may be elements of criminality if the aircraft disembarked cargo and subsequently departed from an unapproved location without filing a flight plan.
He stressed that, irrespective of a pilot’s experience, compliance with both international and local aviation regulations remains mandatory.
“There are standard International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations, as well as local air laws that every pilot, whether Nigerian or foreign, must comply with before operating in the country,” he stated.
The aviation expert further questioned reports indicating that all three crew members on board were pilots, with no cabin crew present, noting that cabin attendants play critical roles during emergencies, including passenger evacuation.
He also expressed concern over the apparent difficulty in identifying passengers on board, arguing that passenger manifests should ordinarily be readily available both on the aircraft and at the operator’s office.
Ojikutu said the numerous unanswered questions surrounding the incident had negatively impacted the image of Nigeria’s aviation industry and called on the relevant authorities to expedite the release of a preliminary investigation report.
“There are so many questions about this flight that have tarnished the image of the aviation industry. How long does it take to produce a preliminary investigation report on an incident where all the crew members are alive?” he queried.
