Louis Ibah
The captain who flew the Air Peace flight on July 23, 2019 which had its nose wheel collapsed,Ms. Simisola Ajibola has denied reports that the aircraft which ran into inclement weather landed without tyres at the Lagos airport.
Ajibola said the incident, which took place at the international runway of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, happened after the aircraft touched down.
“We had a very serviceable aircraft. Our aircraft are machines that are well maintained. It wasn’t the first flight of that day. When we flew the aircraft it was perfectly in good shape,” said Ajibola.
“The report about initial landing without tyres is not true. The incident happened after we touched down. I didn’t go into the air without tyres, we weren’t on a decent without tyres. Some reports say we called for emergency while in the air and that is not true. It was after we landed we asked for emergency services. So whatever happened, happened on the runway that day,” Ajibola added.
However, Tunji Oketunbi, corporate communications manager, Accident Investigation Bureau, (AIB) said the bureau has begun investigation into the issue and will come up with preliminary reports soon.
“It is a cumbersome process. Some components have been retrieved from the airline to help with the investigation. So it will take some time but we are doing everything possible to ensure the report is out sooner than expected,” Oketunbi added.