Tragedy averted as Plane with 94 Passengers overshoots Runway in Port Harcourt Airport (Video)
Ninety-three people comprising of 87 passengers and six crew members on board a plane operated by Air Peace were fortunate to have escaped unhurt when the plane skidded off the Port Harcourt airport runway.
The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), in a statement on Saturday, June 22, said the incident occurred during a downpour on Saturday at the airport, The News Agency of Nigeria reports.
“An Air Peace flight with registration number 5N BRN, flying from Abuja to Port Harcourt today, skidded off the Port Harcourt airport runway at about 1500hours,” Henrietta Yakubu, the general manager of the corporate affairs of FAAN said. “The incident occurred during a downpour at the airport. “There were no casualties as all 87 passengers and six crew members aboard the flight were safely evacuated. “The runway had already been cleared by the authority so that normal flight operations can continue,” she said.
The incident was also reported by the competition and consumer protection agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FCCPC).
The video of the incident was also posted on Instagram by a lady who claimed to have been on the plane when the incident occurred.
The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) said it had been notified of the incident and dispatched investigators to the site of the accident to ascertain the cause and damage, Channels TV reports.
“The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has been notified of the Air Peace flight from Abuja to Port Harcourt with 94 passengers and 6 crew members on board with Registration marks 5N-BRN.
“The aircraft skidded off the Runway to the left about 1300m from the Runway 21 threshold at the Port Harcourt International airport. All passengers and crew have been evacuated safely,” the Bureau disclosed in a statement.
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