According to PUNCH reports, Fifty nine passengers and four crew members escaped death by the whiskers on Saturday when an Overland plane from Abuja overshot the runway at the Ilorin airport.
A statement by the General
Manager, Public Affairs, of the
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Mr.
Fan Ndubuoke, on Saturday, said no
life was lost in the incident, which
he added, was already being
investigated.
The statement read, "An Overland
flight 1186, an ATR 72 aircraft with
Registration number 5N-BPG from
Abuja airport to Ilorin, carrying fifty
nine passengers and four crew
members,veered off the runway at
low speed after a normal landing at
the Ilorin Airport.
"The incident which occurred today
Saturday, November 29, at 4.45pm,
has no casualty recorded. However,
the Accident and Prevention Bureau
in conjunction with the Nigerian
Civil Aviation Authority has begun
an investigation into the cause of
the incident.
"The authority wishes to use this
medium to reassure Nigerians that
safety of the traveling public is still
paramount and cannot be
compromised."
A source told one of our
correspondents that three professors –a former Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof. Ishaq Oleyede, Prof. Lanre Badmus and one unnamed professor — were on board the flight.
One of the passengers, Mr. Ayuba
Balami, commended the pilot for
showing great experience by
maneuvering the plane to safety.
However, the airline said the the
plane did not crash-land at the Ilorin airport on Saturday.
A statement by the management of
Overland, which confirmed the
incident and insisted that there was
no crash.
It said, "It was a normal flight to
Ilorin and standard procedures of
flight were followed. The aircraft
landed safely at Ilorin Airport at
1645hrs as scheduled and
decelerated to a low speed, and in
turning off the active runway,
veered off the pavement.
"At the directive of the Pilot In
Command, our cabin crew calmly
evacuated all the 59 passengers
safely and they were moved to the
airport terminal. No passengers or
crew sustained any injuries
whatsoever.
"Our Ilorin passengers have since
collected their baggage and gone
home while the Ibadan Airport
bound passengers will continue on
Overland Airways to Ibadan
Airport."
Title :
63 People Escape Death As Overland Plane Crash-lands In Ilorin (See Photo)
Description : According to PUNCH reports, Fifty nine passengers and four crew members escaped death by the whiskers on Saturday when an Overland plane fro...
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