Mayday! Private jet loses door at 3,000 feet after Abuja take-Off

By Paul Dada

A private jet operated by Triton Aviation was forced to return to Abuja shortly after take-off and after losing a door while climbing to about 3,000 feet, triggering a Mayday distress call and an emergency response at the airport.

The incident occurred on Thursday, 15 October, when the CL60 aircraft, registered as T7-SEI and operating under flight identification DWC052, departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

According to an air traffic control incident report, the aircraft took off from Runway 22 at 4:17 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

About three minutes later, while approximately three nautical miles from the airport and climbing through 3,000 feet, the crew transmitted a Mayday distress call after reporting that a door had opened during the flight.

Air traffic controllers immediately instructed the aircraft to return to Abuja for an emergency landing.

The airport’s fire and emergency response teams, alongside medical personnel, were placed on standby as preparations were made for the aircraft’s return. Fire crews were also directed to designated positions to enable them to respond promptly if necessary.

The incident report indicated that the crew later contacted the Abuja control tower and asked whether air traffic controllers could establish visually if the door was open.

The duty air traffic controller attempted to inspect the aircraft with binoculars but could not confirm the condition of the door because of the aircraft’s position.

The aircraft subsequently landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 p.m. UTC, bringing the emergency to a safe conclusion.

It was after landing that the missing door was clearly noticed. The report stated that the aircraft’s fuselage was visible to the duty controller, who observed that the door was no longer attached.

The jet was subsequently moved to the international apron extension, where it was parked with the assistance of a marshaller.

Reports by also indicated that the missing door was found by farmers on farmland in the Abuja area. However, the circumstances surrounding its detachment have yet to be officially established.

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has confirmed the incident and deployed investigators to examine what happened.

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority also acknowledged the incident but indicated that further comments should come from the bureau, which is responsible for investigating the serious occurrence.

As of Friday, 16 October, the number of people aboard the aircraft had not been officially established in the reports available. Triton Aviation had also not publicly provided a detailed account of the incident.

Investigators are expected to establish how the door became detached, whether any technical or mechanical fault contributed to the occurrence, and what measures may be necessary to prevent a recurrence.

The cause of the incident remains undetermined pending the outcome of the investigation.