“Mayday, A Door Has Opened In Flight” — Triton Aviation Jet Makes Emergency Return To Abuja As Door Separates After Take-Off

A CL60 aircraft operated by Triton Aviation made an emergency return to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday after one of its doors reportedly separated from the aircraft shortly after take-off for Lagos.

The aircraft, with registration number T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, had departed Abuja for the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, when the incident occurred at about 4:20 p.m. UTC.

According to an incident report, the aircraft took off from Runway 22 at approximately 4:17 p.m. UTC and was about three nautical miles from the airport, climbing through 3,000 feet, when the crew declared a “Mayday” emergency.

The pilots informed air traffic controllers that a door had opened while the aircraft was airborne, prompting the approach radar controller to immediately direct the crew back to Abuja for an emergency landing.

Following the distress call, the airport’s fire watch room and medical team were alerted and placed on standby, while fire and emergency personnel were directed to designated positions at A4 and A5 in preparation for the aircraft’s return.

The report said that at about 4:29 p.m. UTC, while communicating with the Abuja control tower, the crew asked air traffic controllers whether they could visually confirm that the aircraft’s door was open.

The duty air traffic controller attempted to inspect the aircraft with binoculars but was unable to establish the condition of the door because of the aircraft’s position.

“The duty air traffic controller attempted to observe the aircraft using binoculars, but could not establish the door’s condition because of the aircraft’s position. The crew was subsequently informed that the controller could not confirm the situation visually,” the report stated.

The aircraft subsequently landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 p.m. UTC, about 17 minutes after take-off and roughly 14 minutes after the emergency was declared.

However, after the aircraft touched down, the duty controller observed that the door was no longer attached to the fuselage, confirming the seriousness of the incident.

The aircraft was thereafter taxied to the international apron extension, where it was parked with the assistance of a marshaller.

At approximately 4:40 p.m. UTC, the crew reported that the marshaller was in sight before the aircraft was guided into its parking position.

Meanwhile, a video circulating online purportedly showed the missing aircraft door after it was recovered by farmers on farmland within Abuja.

In the video, an unidentified man said the object was discovered by farmers while returning from their farm.

“This is what we found as we were returning from our farm. It fell from a plane, but we don’t know much about its identity. As I am sending it to you, sir, just check it,” the man said.

The number of passengers and crew members aboard the aircraft could not immediately be established, while Triton Aviation had yet to publicly comment on the incident at the time of the report.

The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, confirmed that an incident involving the aircraft had occurred but said the matter was under the jurisdiction of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.

The NSIB also confirmed the serious incident.

A source at the Bureau said investigators had been deployed to examine the circumstances surrounding the occurrence, with an official statement expected after preliminary investigative steps.

The investigation is expected to establish, among other issues, why the door opened and subsequently separated from the aircraft shortly after departure, as well as whether any mechanical, maintenance or operational factors contributed to the occurrence.

Despite the mid-air emergency, the crew was able to return the aircraft safely to Abuja without a reported crash.

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