The Director -General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Nuhu, has commended the actions of the pilot of Aero Contractor Flight NIG382 which suffered a bird strike on take-off at the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), Omagwa. The DG noted that the pilot followed procedures and acted professionally by returning to base after the incident
Captain Nuhu who expressed his view on the incident in a phone conversation said that the aircraft, a Boeing 737-500 with the registration number 5N-BKR, was heading to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja before the incident on Monday afternoon.
Nuhu who explained that the pilot made a circuit and returned to base within eight minutes after the incident making his actions right. The aircraft which departed PHIA for Abuja at 2:06pm, returned to base at 2:14pm. Onboard were 85 passengers and six crew members.
Speaking further, the DG noted that the incident led to the damage of the aircraft’s blade and that the airline’s engineers were currently fixing the damage part of the aircraft.
Nuhu also noted that Aero Contractors brought another aircraft to airlift the passengers to Abuja within 90 minutes of the incident, stressing that the damaged part of the aircraft was undergoing repairs in Port Harcourt.
In his words, “As we speak, maintenance is going on to fix the damaged blade and when they finish, NCAA inspectors will inspect it and certify it if all the parameters; engines, blades and others are okay, they will be released for flight.”
