A B727 cargo aircraft belonging to a courier firm, DHL yesterday overshot the runway at the Murtala Muhammed Airport shortly after it landed on the 18L runway which got flooded at the Mafoluku axis occasioned by a heavy downpour.
Although the three crew members on board did not suffer any injury, the aircraft was badly damaged even as it destroyed a localiser, a navigational aid. The South African regisiterd aircraft was said to have arrived the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos from Accra, Ghana at about 145pm. THISDAY gathered that having being cleared by the control tower to land, the aircraft was said to have landed on Link 3 of the runway considered unusual and in the process overshot the runway before hitting the edge of the runway. The aircraft which as at press time was still resting on its nose was yet to be removed from the runway.
Briefing newsmen on the accident, the chief executives of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and Federal mAirports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Dr. Harold, Demuren, Mr. Roland Iyayi and Alhaji Muhammadu Yusufu respectively confirmed the accident but said there was no casualty among the three crew members.
Iyayi who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said investigations into the accident had commenced while efforts were being made to evacuate the aircraft from the runway, adding that Julius Berger had been contacted to evacuate the aircraft.
“They are going to study the site and try to find out what kind of heavy equipment that is required to remove the aircraft from the scene.
“In the meantime, the cabin on board the aircraft is being offloaded so that it becomes light so that by tomorrow (today) morning when Julius Berger comes in with their equipment, they can successfully move that aircraft away from the scene.
The Accident Investigations Prevention Bureau (AIPB) has already being contacted and they will be there at the scene of the accident.
“Meantime, the crew of the ill-fated aircraft are currently at the NCAA headquarters awaiting investigations for the initial interview. It is hoped that once this is concluded and the aircraft evacuated by tomorrow (today)”, Iyayi said
The NAMA boss stated that the 18L runway would remain closed , adding that the localiser on the 36N right end of the runway was damaged by the aircraft.
He hwoever disclosed that NAMA was making immedioate arrangements torecover spares of the damaged aircraft from its stores “and it is hoped that by Monday we would have replaced the damaged localiser”.
Iyayi pointed out that all the navigational aids at the airport on the 18L end and 18R runway were fully functional to ensure that aircraft could land safely at the airport.
Prodded on whether the downpour or other factors may have caused the accident, Iyayi said it was still early to be speculative, adding that investigations were concluded it would be wrong to say what the exact cause of the accident is.
However, THISDAY investigations reveled that the aircraft had to land at the 18L runway due to the closure of the 18R runway where FAAN engineers were said to be embarking on electrical repairs and fittings.
But THISDAY learnt a Notice to Airmen, which is a prior information to all users of the airport, had earlier been issued to eneble them use the second runway (18L).
As at about 5.30 pm, the three crew members of the DHL aircraft (all of them whitemen )were sighted at the NCAA premises with some staff of the Authority.
Since the two major air crashes of last year which claimed over 200 lives lost, there had not been any accident or major incident in the country until the yesterday DHL accident.
The 18L runway which is billed for complete rehabilitation soon recorded most of the incidents that occurred in the country last year.
Sep82006