VMO Aero, an aircraft acquisition and management company, has provided its first detailed account of the aircraft incident that led to a recent grounding of one of its jets by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
In a statement issued on Friday, the aviation company said the aircraft departed Lagos for Asaba on June 10 but encountered difficulties while attempting to land at the airport.
According to Oluwaseun Ayodeji, the company’s accountable manager, the flight crew identified instability during the initial approach and immediately discontinued the landing attempt in line with safety procedures.
“The aircraft departed Lagos, and during its initial approach into Asaba Airport, the flight crew determined that the approach was unstable, leading to a discontinued approach,” he said.
Ayodeji explained that the crew later made another attempt before the aircraft eventually landed on a roadway running parallel to the airport’s runway.
The company stated that no passenger or crew member was injured during the incident and that no property was damaged. It added that the aircraft subsequently returned safely to Lagos.
VMO Aero said it is fully cooperating with ongoing investigations by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the NCAA, expressing commitment to implementing any safety recommendations arising from the probe.
The operator also apologised for any inconvenience caused by the occurrence and acknowledged the seriousness of the regulatory concerns surrounding the incident.
The NCAA had earlier grounded the Bombardier Challenger CL-601 aircraft involved and suspended VMO Aero’s Permit for Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) following the occurrence.
The regulator disclosed that preliminary findings indicated the aircraft carried out a missed approach before ending up on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba Airport.
It also raised concerns that the aircraft later departed for Lagos without obtaining the required regulatory clearance.
Meanwhile, Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development has directed aviation agencies to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
The NSIB has since recovered the aircraft’s Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR), which investigators will analyse alongside operational, maintenance and air traffic control records to determine the cause of the occurrence and prevent future recurrences.
