Aviation minister says pilots and crew remain in DSS custody as authorities investigate why aircraft landed outside airport runway….
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has described the recent private jet incident in Asaba, Delta State, as a security breach, saying authorities are treating the matter beyond a routine aviation investigation.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Keyamo disclosed that the pilots and crew members of the aircraft have remained in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since the incident occurred.
According to the minister, the aircraft had received clearance from air traffic controllers to land at the Asaba airport but instead touched down on a concrete road running parallel to the runway, outside the airport’s designated area.
Keyamo stressed that the incident was not linked to any failure of Nigeria’s aviation navigation systems, insisting that the circumstances surrounding the landing required security scrutiny.
“The private jet incident in Asaba, as I speak with you, it was a security breach and we are treating it as such,” he said.
He explained that the control tower had authorised the aircraft’s landing, but controllers later noticed that the jet was neither on the runway nor at the airport apron.
“The tower cleared the aircraft to land. Two minutes later, the controller looked out and realised the aircraft was neither on the runway nor at the apron,” Keyamo said.
The minister added that the aircraft did not remain at the scene for aviation officials and investigators to conduct an immediate assessment, but instead departed from the location.
He said he became involved after being informed of the development, leading to coordination with the DSS and other security authorities to intercept the aircraft when it arrived in Lagos.
“We are not treating it lightly,” he said.
Keyamo also explained that the aircraft was registered in the United States, which allowed the pilot to operate despite age requirements that may differ from those applicable to aircraft registered in Nigeria.
He said the DSS investigation would determine the circumstances behind the aircraft’s operation and why it was present in Nigeria, adding that the findings would be submitted to President Bola Tinubu before further decisions are made.
Background
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) grounded the aircraft on June 10 and suspended the operator’s Permit for Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) after the jet landed on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba.
The regulator said preliminary findings showed that the aircraft later left the location and returned to Lagos without obtaining the required regulatory clearance.
The aircraft was immediately grounded upon arrival in Lagos pending further investigations.
The operator, VMO Aero, said the incident occurred after the flight crew abandoned an unstable approach into Asaba airport.
In a preliminary report released on July 9, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) stated that the aircraft had been cleared to approach runway 11 at Asaba airport, while air traffic control approved the crew’s request for a right orbit during the landing process.
The report indicated that the commanding pilot and second-in-command attributed the occurrence to an observer pilot, who allegedly mistook the paved surface for the runway after being questioned by the flight captain.
The NCAA had also suspended the pilots involved pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigation.
