International operations out of Nigeria’s busiest airport may have been put on hold for now as one of the planes of the country’s largest carrier, Air Peace lost its nosewheel while trying to land at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport(MMIA).
The aircraft according to reports was enroute Lagos from Port Harcourt when it experienced turbulent conditions on approaching the Lagos airport and requested air traffic control to allow it land on runway 18R which is longer than the 18 left.
The aircraft made a hard landing at the airport and lost its front landing gear. The incident at the airport has further disrupted international operations causing flight delays.
According to a statement by the airline on what happened, it says “Caption Ajibola noticed sudden weather changes when approaching Lagos and demanded to land on the International runway as it is longer and wider than the domestic runway. After landing safely and rolling to the runway exit, the nose gear developed a problem and partial collapsed”.
“The crew notified the airport authorities who quickly ensured the safe disembarkation of the passengers via the passenger door”, the airline added.
Air Peace assured of their committment to the safety of their passengers at all time.
“We will continue to operate in line with international practices and in accordance with regulatory guidelines”.
“We are being assisted by the various authorities to determine to cause of the incident”.
Meanwhile the Accident Investigation Bureau has commenced investigation to unravel the cause of the incident.
As at press time, the aircraft is yet to be removed from the runway to allow normal flight operations to commence.