An air crash was averted on Tuesday
afternoon at the Lagos airport as the tyre of a commercial aircraft
belonging to AeroContractors blew up just as the plane was taking off.
It was gathered that the Abuja-bound
aircraft, which had over 100 passengers on board, successfully took off
but the pilot had to make an air return to the terminal where it had
departed.
Our correspondent learnt that all the
passengers and crew members on board the Aero flight NG127 from Lagos to
Abuja escaped unhurt as the pilot was able to control the situation.
It was also gathered that the passengers, who still wished to continue with their journey, were transferred to other flights.
A passenger on board the flight, who
simply identified himself as Emma, told our correspondent that the
incident happened around 4pm and noted that there was panic in the
aircraft when the passengers sitting close to the door noticed that the
plane had lost a tyre.
He said, “It was as if the pilot didn’t
even know that his aircraft had lost a tyre because he took off from the
ground. It was after those of us who were close to the door started
screaming that he realised what had happened.
“He later made an emergency return
mid-air, and this happened around 4pm. In fact, it was when we landed
that we noticed that it was a serious tyre burst. But nobody was hurt
and we must appreciate the pilot’s maturity and professionalism in
handling the situation and landing the plane with a burst tyre.”
By 6.40pm when this report was filed,
AeroContractors had done 37 flights across the country and the
management of the carrier confirmed the incident, noting that it ensured
that it transported the affected passengers to Abuja the same day.
The spokesperson for the airline, Mr.
Simon Tumba, told our correspondent that the situation was adequately
controlled, as no passenger or crew member sustained any form of injury.
He said, “Aero flight NG127 from Lagos
to Abuja on this day (Tuesday) made an air return as a result of a burst
tyre, which occurred just as the airplane was lifting off. The pilot
did the right thing by not trying to abort the take off.
“He controlled the airplane into the air
and following all training procedures, he brought the plane back to a
safe landing. At no time during all of this were the passengers’ lives
at any risk.”
source:Punch
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