Panic as Private Jet Loses Door Shortly After Take-Off in Abuja

A private jet operated by Triton Aviation lost a door mid-air on Thursday, forcing its crew to declare an emergency shortly after take-off from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The CL60 aircraft, with registration number T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, was en route to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, when the incident occurred at about 4:20 pm. According to an incident report, the aircraft took off from Runway 22 at 4:17 pm UTC and was approximately three nautical miles from the airport, climbing through 3,000 feet, when the crew issued a distress call, saying, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.” The air traffic control tower directed the aircraft to return to Abuja, while airport fire and rescue personnel, emergency responders and medical teams were placed on standby. At about 4:29 pm UTC, the crew asked air traffic controllers to confirm whether the door was open, but the duty controller could not establish its condition visually.

The aircraft landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 pm UTC, about 14 minutes after the Mayday call. Following the landing, the duty controller observed that the door was missing from the fuselage, and the aircraft was subsequently moved to the international apron extension with the assistance of a marshaller.The number of passengers on board had not been confirmed at the time of reporting. The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, confirmed the incident but said it fell under the purview of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau. Although the NSIB had not issued an immediate public statement, a source within the bureau said investigators had been deployed and an official statement would follow. Triton Aviation could not be reached for comment at the time of filing the report.

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