The windscreen of an Embraer ERJ 145 operated by Air Peace smashed in Abuja on Monday, causing panic among passengers.
As the plane landed at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, the windscreen reportedly smashed, raising fears among passengers and aviation officials who observed the incident.
Omoyele Sowore, a human rights campaigner travelling to Abuja, was one of the passengers on board.
One of the passengers at the airport who witnessed the occurrence, who just identified herself as Funmi, told our correspondent that it was a frightening incident and expressed unhappiness with the airline for refusing to explain what happened to the windscreen at the scene of the incident.
An attempt to communicate with the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Abdullahi Musa, proved futile because he did not answer his phone or respond to text messages given to him about the issue.
When contacted, Bimbo Olajide, spokeswoman for the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, stated that the NCAA would be best positioned to respond to the issue.
The NSIB is responsible for promoting transport safety and conducting objective and thorough investigations of transport accidents and incidents in Nigeria to determine the probable causes.
Olajide stated that the NSIB is intended to investigate accidents rather than events of that type.
“The is classified as an incident, and NSIB is expected to investigate accidents and serious incidents, but the development falls in the category of an incident and not a serious incident or accident. This falls within the purview of the NCAA.”
When contacted over the phone, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, promised to meet with his staff and get back to our reporter, but did not do so until press time.
When asked about what happened that caused the windscreen to shatter, the Chief Operating Officer of the impacted airline, Oluwatoyin Olajide, responded furiously to our correspondent, claiming that the safety of the flying passengers was not jeopardised.
Olajide, who had previously disregarded our correspondent’s contact, became enraged when it was revealed that the development had caused terror among the flying passengers.
She responded, “What panic for the flying public? Can you verify what you’ve just said? Why are you always very quick to publish negative news about your own?
“Where were you when BA (British Airways) had engine issues and was grounded in Lagos for four days? Why was this not published? This is not a fight, but just wondering where you gathered the wrong report from?
“We did not have a shattered screen, nor was the passenger’s safety jeopardized. What happened was a normal snag, and necessary safety measures were implemented. The safety of our equipment and passengers is our top priority.”
However, an insider in Air Peace, who does not want his name in print so as not to violate internal mechanisms, confirmed the incident to our correspondent, adding that “the aircraft has been temporarily put in service so as not to take any chances. Although the windscreen only cracked and not shattered as claimed.”
