There are posers over the status of the chartered private jet conveying Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu and his aides, which crash-landed in Ibadan, Oyo State on Friday night may be operating in Nigeria illegally.
The tragedy was averted when the aircraft, which departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja landed short of the threshold with about 50 metres and skidded into a bushy ditch close to the runway of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport Ibadan.
The flight, which had departed Abuja at 6:41 p.m., crash-landed at approximately 7:21 p.m
It is not yet clear is any of the passengers including the Minister sustained any injuries as there has been no official statement on the incident from the Ministry of Power or aviation authorities.
But the incident happened after the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NiMET) issued travel warning based on hazy weather and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) also advised Pilots and Airline Operators to exercise caution over hazardous weather as the dry season approaches.
Dr James Odaudu, Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), said investigation was ongoing.
“On the accident involving an aircraft operated by Flint Aero at the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport Ibadan, please be informed that the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has commenced investigation into the cause.
Our investigators are on site, and further information will be provided as soon as possible,” he said in a terse statement.
The chartered aircraft Flint Short Aero Hawker 800XP aircraft with the tail identifier 5N-AMM and serial number 258286 had an initial contact with the control tower at 18:56 seeking for extension, which was granted by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), according to a source.
But sources are hinting that this particular may be operating illegally in Nigeria with the full knowledge and participation of the NCAA.
A reliable source who did secret investigation reported, “this aircraft has no permission to operate commercial charter flights as it is registered under a Permit for Non-Commercial Flights (PNCF). This is the permit given to private non-commercial aircraft, and it is cheaper and easier to obtain than a commercial Air Operator Certificate (AOC), because the NCAA rules for private aircraft operation are less stringent than those for commercial aircraft.
“Flints Aero Service, the company which operates it, is also operating multiple aircraft under PNCF permission and using them to carry out commercial charter flights. Some of these aircraft include the Hawker 800XP with the tail identifier 5N-ALG and another Hawker 800XP with the tail identifier 5N-AMK.
“PNCF holders don’t have to pay the 5% regulatory fees that AOC holders are required to, and the regulatory requirements for pilot training, ground staff training and aircraft maintenance are also less strident because PNCF aircraft are not under any circumstances supposed to carry paying passengers.”
Another source noted that this illegality has been prevalent in Nigeria’s aviation history with the connivance of senior Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) officials.