Bayelsa State politician, Mr. Famous Daunemigha who was on board a Port Harcourt-bound Dana aircraft that skidded off the Port Harcourt runway on Tuesday evening has commended the ‘Pilot’s bravery and professionalism’.
Meanwhile, General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, confirmed the incident in a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday.
Mrs Henrietta Yakubu said: “A Dana aircraft flight 9J0363, flying from Abuja to Port Harcourt airport, overshot the Port Harcourt runway.
“The incident is suspected to have been caused by a heavy rain, which was accompanied by strong wind and storm in Port Harcourt. No casualty was recorded, as all passengers on board were safely evacuated.” The flight had on board 49 passengers.
Speaking in a telephone interview, Daunemigha was quoted as saying “ if the flight had left the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on schedule, “we wouldn’t have experienced a bad weather.”
He was quoted by News Gazette as saying: “The flight was initially scheduled to leave Abuja by 4pm. We took off 6.10pm from Abuja airport. The pilot informed us that the aircraft will arrive at the PHIA by 6.52pm.
“I observed that there was a lot of thunder and rain; I wasn’t seeing any light from below. The last I can remember was that the pilot was making a call to the Port Harcourt control tower; but there was no response from the control tower. Then we landed. All of a sudden, we found ourselves struggling; the aircraft was running off the runway. We went very far; thank God that the plane stopped.
“I must say that the pilot was very brave; he was a very brave pilot. We thank God for his experience”.
Also in a statement, Dana Air 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”.
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