Posted by By Evelyn Usman on
LAGOS - A SOUTH African pilot flying over Nigeria's airspace, weekend, aborted his journey and made an emergency landing at Akodo Community High School in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State.
LAGOS - A SOUTH African pilot flying over Nigeria's airspace, weekend, aborted his journey and made an emergency landing at Akodo Community High School in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The light plane with registration number 2S RYX and manufacturing number AS 35087 was on its way to Liberia from Port Harcourt. It unexpectedly developed a mechanical fault and the pilot, sensing danger, decided at once to land at the school. Time was 6.45 pm on Saturday.
Eye witnesses said the pilot who identified himself as Francose Vanbill John was found by residents of the area who ran to the scene shortly after the plane landed. The plane belongs to a company that specialises in electromagnetic survey and soil sampling based in Port Harcourt. The light plane, according to the pilot, took off from Port Harcourt, with civil aviation clearance number AA 004/15031236, at about 3.45 p.m.
But while airborne, according to the pilot, it developed a mechanical fault which affected its electrical system. In order to prevent its data box from exploding mid air, the pilot said he resorted to what he called pre-cautionary landing.
Confirming the incident, Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Olayinka Egbeyemi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) told Vanguard that security had been beefed up around the plane. He said there was no casualty and that the pilot was hale and hearty. According to him, 'as at 5.30 a.m. yesterday, he made a distress call to his company in Port Harcourt. Repair work is in progress and the police at the State Criminal Investigative Bureau are investigating."