A Triton Aviation jet returned safely to Abuja after losing a door shortly after take-off on a flight to Lagos on Thursday, October 15.
The CL60 aircraft, registered T7-SEI with flight identification DWC052, was about three nautical miles from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and climbing through 3,000 feet when its crew declared a Mayday emergency.
An incident report cited by Punch, Vanguard and Daily Trust said the crew reported an open door in flight. Air traffic controllers directed the aircraft back to Abuja and alerted fire, rescue and medical teams to stand by.
The report recorded departure from Runway 22 at 16:17 UTC, the distress call at 16:20 UTC and a safe landing on the same runway at 16:34 UTC.
Before landing, the crew asked whether controllers could see the door. A duty controller tried to check with binoculars but could not confirm its condition because of the aircraft’s position.
After landing, the controller could see that the door was missing from the fuselage, according to the report. The aircraft then taxied to the international apron extension and was parked with a marshaller’s assistance.
Vanguard reported that the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau’s media team confirmed the serious incident and said investigators were at the scene, with an official statement to follow. Punch and Daily Trust also reported confirmation from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority’s public affairs director, Michael Achimugu, who referred further comment to the bureau.
The passenger count had not been established in the Punch and Daily Trust reports, and the operator could not be reached for comment at the time of those reports.
Sources: Punch, Vanguard, Daily Trust
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