Just after the embarrassment of an emergency door falling off on landing in Abuja, Dana Airlines was on Tuesday enmeshed in another aviation near mishap, this time in Port Harcourt.
Reports said the airline’s plane, coming from Abuja, overshot the Port Harcourt runway night and ended up in the bush.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) confirmed the incident.
Reports indicated that the 44 passengers on board the flight were petrified by the incident but were evacuated from the bush when the pilot was able to stop the aircraft.
FAAN’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, said no one sustained any injury in the incident.
The incident was suspected to have been caused by torrential rain and heavy wind and storm which occurred in Port Harcourt but it was yet to be confirmed whether the pilot defied report indicating bad weather on the route.
The statement from the airline, which was signed by its spokesman, Kingsley Ezenwa, said the aircraft overshot the runway on landing when pressure caused by slippery runway or technical deficiency forced it to get out of the pilot’s control and skided out off the runway.
Ezenwa said the incident was caused by torrential rainfall and bad weather at the time of landing, but the passengers on-board disembarked from the flight unharmed.
“No casualty was recorded and all passengers and crew disembarked safely,” the statement said.
The airline also said: “We commend the Pilot-in -command who was able to control the aircraft to a complete stop, before passengers and crew disembarked. We also wish to applaud the Captain for exhibiting the highest safety standards and handling the situation professionally.”
