Arik Air flight makes emergency landing at Benin Airport

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB, says an ArikAir Boeing 737-7GL aircraft, registration 5N-MJF, operating a scheduleddomestic flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt, experienced an in-flight engineproblem on Wednesday but diverted safely to Benin Airport. NSIB disclosed this in a statement by the Director of PublicAffairs and Family Assistance, Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji. The statement said that the flight crew detected abnormalindications on one of the engines during the cruise phase. According to the statement, following standard safetyprocedures, the crew conducted a precautionary engine shutdown and diverted tothe nearest suitable airport. The Bureau confirmed that the aircraft landed withoutincident, and all passengers and crew disembarked normally. No injuries havebeen reported. “Preliminary observations at Benin Airport suggestsignificant damage to the affected engine, based on an initial visualassessment. In line with its statutory mandate and international standardsunder ICAO Annex 13, the NSIB said it has commenced an investigation. “The assessment team is en route to Benin to secure theaircraft, document evidence, interview relevant personnel and witnesses, andrecover flight data and cockpit voice recorder information,” the statementsaid. The Bureau disclosed that it is working closely with theNigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Arik Air, and other stakeholders todetermine the sequence of events and any contributing factors.

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