Tragedy as averted today as former President Olusegun Obasanjo and 393 others aboard an Ethiopian airline, escaped a plane crash. Other prominent N
Tragedy as averted today as former President Olusegun Obasanjo and 393 others aboard an Ethiopian airline, escaped a plane crash.
Other prominent Nigerians aboard the Ethiopian airline passenger aircraft, Boeing 777-300, included the Director General of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni, Prof Samson Tunde Adebayo, the Director of Ports Inspection, National Agency For Food And Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC) as well as scores of Nigerians and other nationals.
The passenger aircraft, ET-901, had departed the Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa, at about 9:10 a.m., Ethiopian time; 7 a.m Nigerian time. According to a NAN correspondent, who was among the passengers, the almost 5-hour flight from the Ethiopian capital to Lagos had been smooth until the pilot attempted to land at the Murtala Mohammed International airport.
Rather than landing on the first touch line of the runway, the pilot over short it, due to rain and heavy wind, landing on the third touchline. On realising this, the pilot quickly manouvered the plane back air, flying out of the Lagos airport. After hovering between Lagos and areas suspected to be in Ogun, causing panic among passengers and crew members, the plane landed in Lagos airport, some 20 minutes after the initial false landing.
Many passengers broke out into worship songs and clapping upon the averted plane crash after the plane landed, while some fell to their knees in prayer. The duty manager and Chief Customer Service (Nigeria) of the airline, Mr Otori Jimoh Otan, said that if the pilot had continued taxing down after landing on the third touch line, he would have overshot the runway.
“But this is an experienced pilot. He realised this immediately. Fortunately, the distance between when he realised the situation still permitted him to take off and renegotiate landing,” Otori said, adding that the incident was not out of place, while confirming that the wind obscured the pilot’s vision.
Otori also disclosed that most of the aircrafts that flew out of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport had to fly against the midday heavy wind. “These things happen. That is where the sophistication of the aircraft and experience of the cabin crew members come in. The aircraft is one of the best you can have around and we are fortunate to have pilots who know their onions ” he said.
Obasanjo who was conspicuously absent at Buhari’s second term inauguration in Abuja and Olukanni had both attended a Stakeholders Dialogue on Continental Trade and Strengthening Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) which ended on Tuesday in Addis Ababa.
