Posted by By UCHE USIM on
Less than 24 hours after a Virgin Nigeria B737-300 aircraft aborted an Abuja-bound flight due to malfunctioning of its landing gear, a Bellview B737-200 aircraft, Thursday morning lost one of its engines mid-air as it approached Lagos airport from Abuja.
…Minister summons aviation chiefs
Less than 24 hours after a Virgin Nigeria B737-300 aircraft aborted an Abuja-bound flight due to malfunctioning of its landing gear, a Bellview B737-200 aircraft, Thursday morning lost one of its engines mid-air as it approached Lagos airport from Abuja.
The incident, which occurred at about 9.40a.m sent shockwaves down the spines of the passengers as they prayed fervently for safe landing.
Daily Sun learnt that the pilot of the plane noticed he had lost one engine as he was approaching Lagos. He was said to have immediately notified the men at the Control Tower declaring emergency landing.
The Air Traffic controllers in turn mobilized fire trucks of FAAN, ambulances and other relevant bodies to take care of any eventualities.
The aircraft, it was learnt, was able to make a successful landing. There was no casualty. Confirming the incident to Daily Sun on phone, the Media Assistant to the Director General of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye said the authority's officials were awaiting the full report of the incident. He also said the Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau will be duly notified about the incident.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Air Transportation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and the Director General of NCAA, Dr Harold Demuren have both expressed concern over the increasing rate of incidents in the country, calling for a stricter monitoring of airlines operations.
The minister has, as a result of that, summoned the parastatal chiefs and Virgin Nigeria management for a meeting on Tuesday to discuss ways of nipping the nerve-wracking incidents in the bud.