Nigeria: Private Jet Belonging to Popular Business Tycoon Loses Door Mid-Air After Taking Off

• A Bombardier Challenger 600 jet operated by Triton Aviation lost a door shortly after departing Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja
• The crew declared a Mayday distress call at 3,000 feet and air traffic control directed the aircraft to turn back immediately
• Farmers in the Abuja area later stumbled upon the missing door on farmland, raising urgent safety concerns

A private jet operated by Triton Aviation sent shockwaves through Nigeria's aviation sector on Thursday, October 15, after losing a door in flight just minutes after departing Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The aircraft, a Bombardier Challenger 600 series jet registered as T7-SEI and operating under flight identification DWC052, lifted off from Runway 22 at 4:17 pm UTC, headed for Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.

Within three minutes, as the jet climbed through 3,000 feet at roughly three nautical miles from the airport, the crew broadcast a Mayday distress call, alerting air traffic control that a door had come open during flight.

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Reports indicate that the aircraft belongs to Nigerian business mogul, Kola Karim

Emergency Response at Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport

The approach radar controller immediately instructed the crew to return to Abuja. On the ground, fire crews, emergency response teams, and medical personnel were swiftly positioned along the runway in anticipation of landing.

At around 4:29 pm UTC, the crew radioed the Abuja control tower to ask whether ground staff could confirm whether the door was still in place.

The aircraft touched down safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 pm UTC, roughly 14 minutes after the distress call was first transmitted.

Upon landing, the duty controller confirmed that the door was no longer attached to the fuselage. A marshaller guided the jet to the international apron extension, where it was parked. The number of passengers on board at the time was not confirmed. The video was subsequently shared by Kwadwo Sheldon studios.

See the video below:

Missing Door Found on Abuja Farmland

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In a development that underscored the seriousness of the incident, farmers in the Abuja area later came across the door on their farmland.

Video footage obtained by The Punch showed the recovered door, with a man seen explaining how the farmers discovered it after returning from their fields.

Nigeria's Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, confirmed the incident but noted that jurisdiction over the matter rested with the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).

A source within the NSIB confirmed that the bureau's management had deployed investigators to the scene, with an official statement expected. Triton Aviation had not commented by the time the story was filed.

The incident has prompted sharp questions about aircraft maintenance standards and pre-flight safety checks within Nigeria's private aviation sector.

Source: YEN.com.gh