Bird Strike: NCAA Summons Arik Air

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, will summon the management of Arik Air after one of their pilots flew a Boeing 737-700 with 69 passengers on board from Owerri, Imo State, South East Nigeria, to Lagos State, South West Nigeria, with only one engine when there were safer options available to him.

Speaking with P.M.NEWS this morning on telephone from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Director General of NCAA, Dr. Harold Olusegun Demuren, disclosed that the management of the airline will be summoned to explain what transpired before appropriate decision can be taken.

Already, passengers and readers of P.M.NEWS who reacted on www.pmnewsnigeria.com, have excoriated the pilot for proceeding with the journey with only one engine when the first engine broke down minutes after take off.

Demuren who is attending a meeting in Saudi Arabia said: “The management will be invited to a meeting and they will be asked to explain what happened. We don’t know what took place during that flight. We will try to determine if it is in accordance with safety standards

“The captain of an aircraft has the final say. That is why he is the pilot. We at NCAA are known for safety. We are here to save lives. Nigeria is now at category one safety level, which is the highest in the world.

“You can go to Arik. It is your right as a journalist to ask them about the identity of the pilot, they will give it to you. But right now, I am in Saudi Arabia attending a very important meeting. But we will invite them.”

When contacted, the Media officer at Arik Air, Mr. Ola Banji, declined to disclose the identity of the pilot. He also declined to explain why the pilot did not return to Owerri, Enugu or Port Harcourt airports which were closer rather than fly all the way to Lagos.

He said: “I can’t disclose the identity of the pilot.”

Reacting to the incident, Stephen said on P.M.NEWS website: “The decision was to land at the nearest airport instead of taking the risk to fly to Lagos. Pilots were supposed to use their mind.”

“I do not want to believe that the pilot of this aircraft flew one engine from Owerri to Lagos and he is still possesses his license. What is the Director General of the regulatory body doing in office? What do their emergency procedures say? Human lives were grossly jeopardised and Nigeria is definitely a laughing stock in the world of aviation.

“The pilot should be charged with criminally endangering the lives of fee paying passengers and not be praised. If I was on board, I would have briefed my lawyers already. When are we going to become an educated country?” Oludotun Ayodeji, another reader said, echoing the concerns of others.

A passenger who was on board Arik flight W3 596 told P.M.NEWS recently that it was hell on the aircraft after the bird strike as they thought the plane was going to crash.

—Simon Ateba