NCAA bans pilot, suspends first officer involved in Asaba airport incident

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the pilots involved in the recent roadway landing incident near Asaba, pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation.

The Director-General of the NCAA, Chris Najomo, disclosed the development on the sidelines of an airport business summit in Lagos.

Najomo said the aircraft involved has been grounded, while its Permit for Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) remains suspended until investigations are concluded.

According to him, the probe initially handled by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has now been transferred to the NCAA. He added that the Department of State Services (DSS) is also participating in the investigation.

“The investigation is still ongoing. The NSIB has handed it over to us, and we are conducting our own review,” Najomo said.

“As we speak, the aircraft is grounded, the PNCF is suspended, and the pilots are barred from flying in this airspace until we conclude our findings.”

He further noted that additional factors surrounding the incident are being examined.

On June 10, the NCAA sanctioned a privately operated aircraft after it landed on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba, Delta State.

Preliminary reports indicated that the aircraft later departed the location and returned to Lagos without obtaining the required regulatory clearance. Air traffic control was reportedly notified only after the aircraft had taken off.

In its response, VMO Aero stated that the incident occurred after the crew aborted an unstable approach into Asaba airport.

In a report released on July 9, the NSIB revealed that the aircraft had been cleared to approach Runway 11 at Asaba airport. The crew had also requested and received approval to carry out a right orbit during the landing sequence.

The aircraft reportedly executed a missed approach before attempting a second landing, which resulted in it touching down on a roadway instead of the runway.

According to the NSIB, both the pilot-in-command and the co-pilot attributed the error to an observer pilot, who allegedly misidentified the roadway as the runway when asked to confirm the landing path.