A Triton Aviation jet lost a door shortly after taking off from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Thursday, 15 October, forcing the crew to declare a Mayday and return to land safely.
The aircraft, a CL60 with registration number T7-SEI operating as flight DWC052, was on its way from Abuja to Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos when the incident occurred at about 4:20 pm UTC.
According to an incident report from air traffic control, the crew made a Mayday call at about 4:20 pm UTC, roughly three nautical miles from the airport and climbing through 3,000 feet. They reported that a door had opened in flight.
The approach radar controller responded by directing the aircraft back to Abuja for an emergency landing on Runway 22. The aircraft landed about 14 minutes after the distress call.
The report says the fire watch room and the medical team were put on standby ahead of the aircraft’s return.
While in contact with the Abuja control tower, the crew asked whether controllers could confirm that the door was open. The duty controller tried to observe the aircraft with binoculars but could not make out the condition of the door because of the aircraft’s position.
After the aircraft landed, the duty controller observed that the door was missing from the fuselage.
A video circulating on social media appears to show the missing door on farmland. In the footage, an unidentified man says farmers found it while returning from their farm in the Abuja area.
In a statement on Friday, NSIB chief executive Alex Badeh said the agency has begun investigating the occurrence involving the Challenger 604, registration T7-SEI.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the incident and referred further questions to NSIB, which has deployed investigators.
No cause has been announced. The number of people on board has not been confirmed.
Administrator and Writer
