NCAA Grounds Aircraft After Emergency Landing On Delta Road, Suspends Operator’s Permit

By Ayo Kehinde

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has grounded a privately operated aircraft and suspended the operator’s Permit for Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) following an emergency landing on a roadway near Asaba, Delta State, and its subsequent unauthorised departure to Lagos.

The aviation regulator disclosed the development in a preliminary report issued on Wednesday,  detailing the circumstances surrounding the incident and the immediate regulatory actions taken against the operator and flight crew.

According to the NCAA, the aircraft was involved in an occurrence while attempting to land at Asaba Airport in the early hours of Wednesday.

The Authority said available preliminary information indicated that the aircraft carried out a missed approach at approximately 7:43 a.m. local time while attempting to land in Asaba.

The aircraft subsequently landed on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba under circumstances that are now under investigation.

Reports received from personnel at the scene indicated that all occupants safely exited the aircraft after the landing and were transported to Asaba by road.

The NCAA stated that there were four crew members on board at the time of the incident and that no injuries to either passengers or crew had been reported.

While confirming that the emergency landing did not result in casualties, the Authority expressed concern over the aircraft’s movement after the occurrence.

According to the preliminary report, the aircraft later departed the location at approximately 11:02 GMT and returned to Lagos without obtaining the requisite regulatory approval from aviation authorities.

The regulator further revealed that Air Traffic Control was only informed after the aircraft had already become airborne.

“This action constitutes a violation of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) and is currently under investigation by the Authority”, the NCAA said.

In response to the development, the NCAA said it immediately grounded the aircraft upon its arrival in Lagos pending the conclusion of ongoing investigations. The Authority also placed the flight crew under regulatory review while inquiries continue into both the emergency landing and the subsequent unauthorised departure.

“The flight crew have been placed under regulatory review while the NCAA conducts further inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the occurrence and the subsequent unauthorised departure of the aircraft”, the statement noted.

As part of the investigative process, the NCAA said it had formally notified the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) of the occurrence and was collaborating with relevant aviation stakeholders to establish the full facts of the incident.

The stakeholders involved in the investigation include the aircraft operator and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

In a further enforcement measure, the Authority announced the suspension of the operator’s Permit for Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF), effectively halting its operations pending the outcome of the probe.

The NCAA said investigators would scrutinise all operational, airworthiness, maintenance and flight-related records associated with the aircraft and its operator to determine whether regulatory breaches occurred before, during or after the incident.

“The Authority will review all operational, airworthiness, maintenance and flight-related records as part of its statutory responsibilities and will take further enforcement action in accordance with applicable aviation regulations”, the statement added.

The regulator stressed that the report remains preliminary and that additional details may emerge as investigations progress.

Reaffirming its commitment to safety oversight, the NCAA said it would continue to enforce the highest standards of aviation safety, security and regulatory compliance across Nigeria’s aviation sector.