RismadarVoice Reporters
June 11, 2026
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the operator’s permit and grounded a private aircraft that departed from an incident site near Asaba without obtaining the required regulatory approval.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed that the aircraft was involved in an incident at about 7:43 a.m. local time while attempting to land at Asaba Airport.
According to the minister, the aircraft executed a missed approach and subsequently landed on a concrete road under construction in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba.
Keyamo said there were four crew members on board and no injuries were recorded. He added that all occupants exited the aircraft safely and were transported to Asaba by road.
The minister, however, revealed that the aircraft later departed the site at about 11:02 GMT and returned to Lagos without obtaining the necessary regulatory clearance.
He noted that Air Traffic Control was only informed after the aircraft had already taken off, describing the action as a serious violation of aviation regulations and security procedures.
Following its arrival in Lagos, the NCAA immediately grounded the aircraft and suspended the operator’s Permit for Non-Commercial Flight pending the outcome ,of investigations.
The authority has also placed the flight under regulatory review and commenced an examination of the circumstances surrounding both the landing incident and the aircraft’s subsequent departure.
According to Keyamo, the NCAA is working with the aircraft operator and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to establish the full facts of the incident.
He added that aviation regulators would review the operator’s operational, maintenance, airworthiness and flight records as part of the investigation and take any further enforcement actions deemed necessary under existing aviation regulations.
The minister further disclosed that security agencies have taken custody of the crew members, who are assisting with ongoing investigations.
Authorities say inquiries into the incident are continuing as regulators and security agencies seek to determine the circumstances surrounding the aircraft’s emergency landing and unauthorised departure.
