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The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has blamed Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) inaccurate rain forecast for the Skybird Airline aircraft incident of Wednesday night at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.
AIB in its preliminary report explained that the plane on landing discovered that the rain was heavier than the advised slight rain by the authorities.
It would be recalled that a Gulfstream G IV aircraft with the registration number 5N-BOD had overshot the runway at 2200hrs and moved to the muddy area of that aspect of the airport.
As at the time of the incident the aircraft had one passenger onboard with five crewmembers.
A statement by Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, the General Manager, Public Affairs, AIB also said that on touchdown, the aircraft did not slow down as normal.
He, however, said that when this happened, the captain deployed the speed brakes manually, and applied maximum braking, but it was too late to prevent the aircraft to overshoot the runway.
The statement read in part: “The rain on landing was heavier than the advised slight rain and on touched down; the aircraft did not slow down as normal. At that time, the captain deployed the speed brakes manually, and applied maximum braking.
“However, the deployment of thrust reversers could not stop the aircraft on the wet and slippery runway. The aircraft exited the end of the runway and came to a stop in a mud; at a distance of 71m from the end of RWY 22 stop way.”
Oketunbi emphasised that no injury was sustained by the passenger and the crew on board when the aircraft finally halted.
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