VMO Aero breaks silence on Asaba airport incident, says crew aborted unstable approach
By Aboki Forex —
Aircraft acquisition and management firm VMO Aero has released its first detailed account of an incident that led the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ground one of its jets and suspend its permit.
In a statement on Friday, the company said the Bombardier Challenger CL-601 aircraft left Lagos for Asaba on Wednesday, 10 June, but ran into trouble during approach.
“The aircraft departed Lagos, and during its initial approach into Asaba Airport, the flight crew determined that the approach was unstable, leading to a discontinued approach,” said Oluwaseun Ayodeji, VMO Aero’s accountable manager.
Ayodeji disclosed that the crew attempted another approach before the aircraft eventually landed on a roadway running parallel to the airport’s runway. None of the occupants was injured, and no property was damaged, he said. The aircraft later returned safely to Lagos.
VMO Aero said it is cooperating with the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the NCAA as they investigate the incident. The company promised to support efforts to review the circumstances and implement any safety recommendations that emerge.
“We appreciate the seriousness with which the authorities view any event that may affect the integrity of flight operations and compliance with regulatory requirements,” Ayodeji said.
The NCAA had earlier ordered the grounding of the aircraft and suspended VMO Aero’s Permit for Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF). The regulator said preliminary information showed the aircraft conducted a missed approach before ending up on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near the airport.
The NCAA also raised concerns that the aircraft later departed the location for Lagos without required regulatory approval. That action will form part of the ongoing review.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo ordered a full investigation into the incident. On Thursday, the NSIB said it had recovered the aircraft’s Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR). Investigators will analyse those recordings alongside operational, maintenance and air traffic control records to determine what happened.
The NSIB aims to identify contributing factors and issue recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.