Tragedy struck in the late hours of Wednsday as an Overland Airways aircraft exploded and caught fire mid-air with 33 passengers on board.
There was a stroke of good luck however as the passengers managed to escape death as the aircraft made an emergency landing at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, from the Ilorin International Airport in Kwara State where it took off from.
Africa Today News, New York learnt that the Pilot-in-Command of the ATR-42 Aircraft had declared a May Day warning which in aviation parlance implies an emergency situation while authorities at the airport had activated all emergency procedures as the crew tried to maneuver the plane.
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The airline in a statement confirmed the incident, saying the passengers remained calm all through the process.
The airline said, “Overland Airways wishes to inform the general public that its flight OF1188 from Ilorin to Lagos experienced an unusual high turbine temperature on one of its engines today, Wednesday, June 15, 2022, around 7:50 pm.
“This occurred in the approach phase of flight and the aircraft landed very safely as the Crew skillfully implemented their standard procedures for such abnormal situations.
“All 33 passengers remained calm through the process and safely disembarked row by row in accordance with post-COVID-19 procedures after the aircraft came to a halt on the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos runway 18 Right. No passenger was hurt in any way.
“Overland Airways salutes the professional interventions of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and the Accident Investigation Bureau Nigeria (AIB-N) which were very prompt and reassuring.
“Overland Airways regrets any inconvenience to its passengers and assures the traveling public of its full commitment to the safety of its services and passengers.”