Private jet loses door after take-off in Abuja, makes emergency landing

A private jet operated by Triton Aviation was forced to return to Abuja on Thursday after losing a door shortly after take-off, prompting the crew to issue a “Mayday” distress call.

The CL60 aircraft, registered as T7-SEI and operating flight DWC052, was scheduled to fly from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, when the incident occurred at about 4:20 p.m. UTC.

An incident report obtained by our reporter showed that the aircraft departed Runway 22 at 4:17 p.m. UTC. It was approximately three nautical miles from the airport and climbing through 3,000 feet when the crew declared an emergency.

The crew notified air traffic controllers that a door had opened during the flight. In response, the approach radar controller instructed the aircraft to return to Abuja for an emergency landing.

Airport emergency services were immediately placed on alert, with the fire watch room and medical team directed to stand by. Fire and rescue personnel were also deployed to designated positions at A4 and A5 ahead of the aircraft’s arrival.

According to the incident report, the crew later sought visual confirmation of the door’s condition while communicating with the Abuja control tower.

The report stated: “At about 4:29 p.m. UTC, while in contact with the Abuja control tower, the crew asked whether air traffic controllers could confirm if the door was open.

“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 aircraft landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 p.m. UTC, 14 minutes after the Mayday call.”

After the aircraft touched down, the duty air traffic controller noticed that the door was missing from the fuselage.

The jet was subsequently moved to the international apron extension and parked with the assistance of a marshaller. At about 4:40 p.m. UTC, the crew confirmed that the marshaller was in sight before the aircraft was guided into its parking position.

In a related development, a video circulating online purportedly showed the missing door after it was found by farmers on farmland in Abuja.

A male voice in the video, whose identity was unknown as of the time of filing this report, said the farmers discovered the object 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 voice said.

The number of passengers aboard the aircraft was not immediately known. Efforts to reach Triton Aviation for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, confirmed the incident when contacted but declined to comment, saying it fell within the jurisdiction of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).

The NSIB also confirmed the serious incident.

A source at the bureau disclosed that its management had deployed investigators to the scene to establish the circumstances surrounding the occurrence. The source added that an official statement would be released soon.