A Bombardier Challenger 600 private jet issued a "mayday" distress call shortly after taking off from Nigeria's capital when its cabin door broke away mid-flight. The aircraft landed safely back at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja following the incident.
Flight details and emergency landing
Flight DWC052 departed Abuja at 4.17pm UTC on Thursday, according to flight-tracking data. The incident happened just minutes into its journey to Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.
An air traffic control report obtained by Nigerian newspaper the Daily Trust said the crew informed controllers that a door had opened during the flight. The aircraft was then directed back to Abuja for an emergency landing.
Air traffic control report
The report stated: "At about 4:29 p.m. UTC, while in contact with the Abuja control tower, the crew asked whether air traffic controllers could confirm if the door was open."
The report added: "The duty air traffic controller attempted to observe the aircraft using binoculars, but could not establish the door's condition because of the aircraft’s position. The crew was subsequently informed that the controller could not confirm the situation visually."
"The aircraft landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 p.m. UTC, 14 minutes after the Mayday call."
Investigation and video evidence
Once the aircraft landed, the duty controller noticed that the door was missing. A video circulating online appears to show a door that people claim was found by farmers in a field in Abuja.
A male voice can be heard saying in the video: "This is what we found as we were returning from our farm. It fell from a plane, but we don't know much about its identity. As I am sending it to you, sir, just check it."
It has not been confirmed whether the door shown in the video belongs to the aircraft. Triton Aviation, the operator of the jet, and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, which operates Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, were contacted for comment. The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau is investigating the incident.
