Advertisement

Overland aircraft bursts into flames at Lagos airport


An aircraft owned by Overland Airways went up in flames on Friday at the airline’s hangar located at the General Aviation Terminal, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
Firefighters from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) sprung into action to extinguish the fire shortly after the outbreak which happened while the aircraft was being serviced, it was reported.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the aircraft with registration number 5N-BPE was being powered by the Ground Power Unit (GPU) at the time of the occurrence.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it has been notified of the incident and is awaiting report from the airline.
“It was a minor incident and there were no casualties,” added Sam Adurogboye,  NCAA’s General Manager, Public Affairs, “We are still waiting for more details from the airline.”
Tunji Oketunbi, spokesperson for the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), has also assured that investigators from the bureau have been instructed to confirm the factors that led to the incident.
Overland Airways commenced operations in 2002 and operates locally in Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, Ilorin, among other states. It boasts of operating “a fleet of modern equipment and facilities to provide high standard of service”.
Airplanes belonging to the company have however been infamous for wobbling uncontrollably during flight. In 2014, a turboprop engine aircraft with 59 passengers owned by Overland Airways was in the newsfor landing at the Ilorin International Airport and swerving off the runway to hit the pavement.