REPORTS making rounds of a crashed Air Peace aircraft have been denounced as false by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and Air Peace both of which stated that the airline’s aircraft suffered a tyre burst after landing and there was no crash whatsoever.
This is just as the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu has cautioned against sensationalism as it will damage the reputation of the industry if care is not taken.
Air Peace aircraft, a Boeing 737-500 with registration marks 5N-BQR had the incident around 10:00am on Friday after landing from Abuja but after evaluation by AIB safety inspectors they decided not to investigate.
An AIB source told NigerianFLIGHTDECK, “Yes. It happened yesterday. AIB Safety investigators did an evaluation of the occurrence and decided not to investigate. The Aeroplane has been released to the Operator (Air Peace).
Also reacting to the report, Air Peace management in a statement explained:
“The attention of Air Peace has been drawn to misleading online reports purporting that our Ilorin bound B737-500 aircraft with registration number 5N-BQR from Abuja, was involved in a crash in Ilorin, around 10am on July 23, 2021
“For the records, no such thing happened. The reports misrepresented and exaggerated the facts. We can confirm that the aircraft in question landed safely but had a minimal tyre burst while taxing. This debunks all the mischievously headlined reports circulating online, which should be disregarded.
“Our aircraft neither crashed nor crash landed in Ilorin or in any place for that matter. This kind of sensationalism is bad and was intended to cause panic in the minds of the flying public.
“It was duly reported to the authorities and passengers disembarked seamlessly. The tyres have, however, been fixed and aircraft is intact. We condemn sensational publication of falsehood.
“Air Peace is committed to providing peaceful connectivity across cities and relentlessly observes the highest standards of safety in its operations,” the statement issued by Stanley Olisa read.
An official statement from the AIB signed by General Manager, Public Affairs, Tunji Oketunbi read, “This is to confirm an incident involving Air Peace B737-500 with Registration Marks 5N-BQR that occurred yesterday in Ilorin at about 10:30am local time. There were 66 passengers and 6 crew onboard.
“AIB Safety investigators did an evaluation of the occurrence and decided not to investigate. The Aeroplane has been released to the Operator (Air Peace). The delay in opening the Airport is down to the recovery of the Aeroplane from the Runway by FAAN and Airpeace. The aeroplane had a burst tyre on landing roll.
“We enjoin all media practitioners to verify every information before going to press.
