Keyamo says Asaba jet crew remain in DSS custody over security breach

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo says the crew of the private jet that landed on a concrete road near Asaba Airport are still in DSS custody while investigators examine what he described as a security breach.

The update adds a new layer to the earlier Asaba aircraft incident, which NaijaTrend reported here after safety investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.

Keyamo said the aircraft had been cleared to land on the airport runway, but instead touched down outside the airport perimeter. He said the control tower later queried the crew after it became clear the jet was not on the runway or apron.

The minister said the case was not about Asaba Airport’s navigational capacity. According to him, the tower had cleared the aircraft to land, and the question investigators are pursuing is why the crew landed on a road after that clearance.

He also said the crew left the scene before accident investigators and regulators could inspect the aircraft. Keyamo said he contacted officials in Lagos, and the crew were picked up when they arrived there.

The incident involved a foreign-registered private jet that landed near Asaba Airport in June, raising questions about airport security, pilot conduct and the handling of aircraft that land outside approved airport areas.

Sources: Daily Post, Premium Times, Punch