Preliminary Report
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has released its preliminary report into the serious incident involving a Bombardier Challenger 601-3A aircraft that mistakenly landed on a road under construction instead of the runway at Asaba Airport.
The incident occurred on 10 June 2026 during an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, to Asaba Airport. The aircraft, registered N989BC and operated by VMO Aero Limited, was carrying seven people comprising four crew members and three passengers. Fortunately, no injuries were recorded.
According to the preliminary report, the aircraft first attempted to land but did not continue with the approach. Instead, the pilots carried out what is known in aviation as a go-around, a standard safety procedure in which a landing is aborted to allow another, safer attempt.
The cockpit crew then repositioned the aircraft for a second approach to Runway 11. They reported that the aircraft’s navigation system showed they were correctly lined up with the published approach to the runway. However, instead of landing on the airport runway, the aircraft touched down on a newly paved road that was still under construction close to the airport.
For many Nigerians unfamiliar with aviation procedures, this simply means the pilots believed they were approaching the correct runway because that was what the aircraft’s navigation information indicated. Somehow, the aircraft ended up landing on a nearby road that resembled a runway rather than on the airport’s intended landing strip.
After the aircraft came to a stop, the crew shut down the engines and carried out an inspection while all three passengers safely disembarked. The aircraft later departed from the roadway and flew back to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, without any further operational problems.
However, engineers later discovered damage to the aircraft’s left nose-wheel assembly, which is the front landing gear that supports the aircraft while taxiing and during landing.
The NSIB explained that the preliminary report only presents facts established during the early stages of the investigation. It does not determine who was at fault or explain exactly why the aircraft landed on the wrong surface.
According to a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs Funke Adebayo-Arowojobe, Bureau investigators have already examined information from the flight crew, witness statements, Air Traffic Control records, aircraft documents and operational records.
In addition, the Bureau recovered both the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) from the aircraft. These devices, commonly known as the aircraft’s “black boxes”, were downloaded and are being analysed at the NSIB Transport Safety Laboratory in Abuja.
“The preliminary report contains the factual information established during the investigation to date, including Initial Findings based on the evidence currently available and Immediate Safety Recommendations arising from safety issues identified at this stage of the investigation.”
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau stressed that the document should not be interpreted as the final outcome of the investigation. Instead, it provides an update on evidence gathered so far while technical examinations and detailed analysis continue.
The NSIB also emphasised that the report does not include conclusions about the causes or contributing factors of the occurrence. Those findings will only be contained in the Final Report, which will include detailed analysis, conclusions and additional safety recommendations where necessary.
Meanwhile, the Bureau has made the preliminary report available on its website for the public and media. The final investigation will be conducted in line with ICAO Annex 13, the international standard governing aircraft accident and incident investigations, with the ultimate aim of improving aviation safety rather than assigning blame.
