The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has grounded a Rano Air aircraft with registration number 5N-BZY following an engine failure mid-flight.
Michael Achimugu, director of public affairs and consumer protection at NCAA, disclosed this on his official X handle, @mikeachimugu01, while responding to a post by social media infleuncer, Emma Ikumeh.
Ikumeh had alleged that one of the aircraft’s engines caught fire during a flight from Kano to Sokoto and that Rano Air attempted to operate the same aircraft on a return leg to Kano after “a few touch-ups”.
He wrote: “Something quite intriguing, or rather disturbing, happened today in Sokoto.
“One of the engines of a Rano Air aircraft en route from Kano to Sokoto caught fire mid-air. Thankfully, the pilot managed to land the plane safely in Sokoto using the other engine.
“However, shockingly, after just a few ‘touch-ups,’ the management of Rano Air cleared the same aircraft to fly passengers back to Kano.
“Unfortunately, just a few minutes after takeoff, the aircraft couldn’t hold up any longer and was forced to make a U-turn back to Sokoto Airport.”
In his response, Achimugu confirmed that the aircraft suffered a failure on engine 1 and that smoke was detected in the cabin and cockpit during the incident.
“Oxygen masks were donned. The appropriate safety protocols were initiated on the ground for landing. Smoke dissipated. The pilot safely landed the aircraft without incident,” he wrote.
He added that the NCAA’s Directorate of Airworthiness had directed that the aircraft remain grounded until investigations are concluded.
His words: “The rescue aircraft that was to airlift passengers out of Sokoto had already boarded Abuja-Katsina passengers.
“It would have created problems to deboard those passengers. The flight out of Sokoto was, therefore, cancelled. 5N-BZY is still on the ground with engineers working on it.”
Achimugu stressed that the NCAA places a premium on safety, noting that “the records are clear” and that even more advanced countries experience worse incidents.
“Here, flights will get cancelled if there is the slightest safety concern,” he said.
