LAGOS – Capt. Musa Nuhu, a one-time Nigeria’s representative at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), has admonished analysts in the Nigerian aviation industry to desist from speculations on the probable cause of last week’s United Airlines serious incident.
Nuhu also expressed confidence that the preliminary report by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) would unravel the immediate and remote causes of the serious incident.
Speaking with our correspondent on phone, Nuhu explained that as it stands, any comment or statement on the serious incident would amount to speculation, stressing that pilots were trained to handle all sorts of emergencies.
He expressed the optimism that the NSIB would release a very detailed report on the serious incident, which would prevent a recurrence in the future.
He, however, said that with the magnitude of injured persons onboard and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13 on Accident Investigation, the incident could be categorised as an accident, but called for patience from industry experts in order not to jeopardise investigations.
He said: “Sometimes, we think we know, but when the reports come out, it is totally different from what appears to have caused the accident or incident.
“The report was that the pilot had an emergency return to Lagos and some people got injured in the process. Anything we say now is merely speculating. But, we should know that pilots are trained to handle all sorts of emergencies; we do go on refresher training every six months to review updates and practise how to handle all sorts of emergencies.
“We should avoid speculations; we should wait for the NSIB to do their proper investigations and tell us what happened. Usually, I expect them in a couple of days to come out with their preliminary report on what they think happened.
“ICAO Annex 13 on Accident Investigation, defines any aircraft accident that has serious injury or substantial damage. So, if there were serious injuries as reported and confirmed, then, this is no more an incident by the annex, rather an accident.”
He, however, said that accident or incident investigations may take longer, depending on the situation.
He recalled that an investigation into the Boeing 747 aircraft accident that occurred in Japan, took several years to be concluded by investigators.
A United Airlines had early morning on Friday, January 24, 2025, made an air return to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, after developing technical fault mid-air.
No fewer than 39 passengers and crew members aboard the Boeing 787-8 aircraft were seriously and mildly injured.
The aircraft with the registration number: N27903, returned to base with the onboard 245 passengers, eight flight attendants, and three pilots on board.
Nuhu, however, declined to comment on the controversial second runway project for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja and the variation of N532 billion by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the contractor.
He, however, said that a second runway was desirable for the airport because of its growing traffic and importance to the country.
“In addition to that, the traffic in Abuja is increasing. So, for more efficient operations, we need to have two runways. The projection in the next few years is that the traffic is going to be one of the biggest traffic in Nigeria and we need to plan ahead before we get there. The Abuja runway is very necessary.
“As per the contract part of it, I don’t have any comment. I don’t know what the details of the contracts are, I didn’t participate in the procurement process. It is being handled by the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). I think those are the appropriate agencies to speak on the cost,” he said.
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