South East: Aircraft crashes at Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport

An aircraft with nationality and registration No. 5N-ASR on Tuesday crashed at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri, capital of Imo State, without any recorded fatality.

The aircraft which is operated by Skypower Express reportedly took off from Kaduna in the Northern Nigeria for Port Harcourt in the South South region and, was declared an emergency, thereby diverted to Owerri.

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The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB had explained the emergency of the aircraft, but not in detail.

According to the NSIB, the Cessna 172 aircraft crashed in the approach area of Runway 17 around 8:00 p.m. local time with four persons on board, but there was no human casualty.

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According to NSIB late night of Tuesday, flight operations at the Cargo Airport was not disrupted as there was no post-crash fire, with other aircraft taking off after the incident.

In a statement by the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, of the NSIB, Mrs Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, said: “Efforts are ongoing to recover the distressed aircraft from the crash site for a detailed wreckage examination.”

The NSIB noted that it had activated its protocols in line with its mandate.

Director-General Captain Alex Badeh Jr. expressed sympathy to Skypower Express while welcoming the absence of casualties.

“We express our deepest sympathies to the management of Skypower Express and are glad that no fatalities have been reported so far. Our team is coordinating with authorities to secure the site,” he said.

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