The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has grounded a private aircraft after it made an emergency landing on the Asaba–Ogwashi-Uku Expressway in Delta State instead of the nearby Asaba Airport.
According to the NCAA, the incident occurred at about 7:43 a.m. on June 10 when the aircraft reportedly conducted an unstable approach and landed off the airport environment on a roadway near Ogwashi-Uku.
The regulatory agency disclosed that all four occupants on board escaped unhurt and safely evacuated the aircraft, with no fatalities or injuries recorded.
In a statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, the authority said preliminary investigations revealed that the aircraft later departed the scene and flew to Lagos without obtaining the mandatory clearance from Air Traffic Control.
The NCAA described the unauthorised departure as a violation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations and said it was only notified after the aircraft had already taken off.
Upon arrival in Lagos, the aircraft was immediately grounded, while the crew members were placed under regulatory review.
The authority said it had commenced a full investigation in collaboration with the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), the aircraft operator and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), stressing that breaches of safety procedures and regulatory compliance would not be tolerated.
