Plane crash averted in Lagos

A Boeing 737 aircraft belonging to Air Peace on Monday suffered a burst tyre while preparing for take-off at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria gathered that the incident occurred at about 11am, forcing the pilot to abort the flight.
The aircraft was to convey 105 passengers from Lagos to Abuja.
The airline’s spokesman, Christian Iwarah, who confirmed the incident to NAN, said no serious damage was done to the aircraft and no passenger was injured.
Iwarah said:“The incident happened around 11am as the aircraft was about to take off.
“The pilot immediately turned around and the passengers were disembarked.
“Another aircraft was provided for them and I can confirm to you that they arrived in Abuja safely a few hours ago.”
Reacting to the incident, the General Manager, Public Relations, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Sam Adurogboye, said he was yet to confirm if the incident had been filed with the regulatory authority.
Adurogboye, however, noted that the pilot acted according to the Standards and Recommended Practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
It would be recalled that a potential plane crash was averted on November 13, 2016 when an Arik Air aircraft lost one of its two engines mid-air with over 100 passengers on board.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737, departed from Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos for Jos when the pilot discovered that the plane had lost one of its engines during the flight.
The pilot immediately contacted the Lagos control tower, which granted him emergency landing status.
Passengers panicked when they were informed that the aircraft would return to Lagos.
Upon landing in Lagos, it was gathered that the aircraft could not taxi out of the runway and it took the intervention of the Airport Rescue and Fire-Fighting Services, a department in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, to tow the aircraft to the hajj and cargo terminal area of the airport in order for the passengers to disembark from the aircraft.
NAN.