MaxAir, a local airline founded by Dahiru Barau Mangal, has recorded three aircraft accidents in six months.
On Tuesday, a Max Air flight crash-landed at the Mallam Aminu International Airport in Kano after losing its landing gear tyre around 11 pm.
The aircraft with registration number 5NMBD departed from Lagos with 53 passengers and 6 crew members.
READ ALSO: Runway Condition Unknown as Cargo Plane Crash-Lands in Abuja
Commenting on the incident on Wednesday, Tunde Moshood, a special adviser on media and communications to Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, said the aircraft had been removed from the runway.
The scene of the Tuesday accident.
“The disabled MaxAir 5NMBD that had a burst tyre on landing yesterday has been removed from the runway,” Moshood posted on X.
“Sweeping of the runway is ongoing, and NOTAM [Notice to Airmen] will be cancelled after inspection. Runway 06/24 is now open for normal operations.”
TWO PREVIOUS OTHER INCIDENTS
Ten minutes into take-off on December 5, fire erupted in a MaxAir aeroplane’s engine in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Umar Usman Kadafur, the deputy governor of Borno State, was among the over 70 passengers aboard the aircraft. The incident was said to have been caused by a bird strike.
Incidentally, the said aircraft, a Boeing 737, was the same involved in the Tuesday incident.
On July 21, four tyres of a Boeing 737 aircraft belonging to MaxAir burst in Yola with 119 passengers and six crew members aboard, leading to a take-off rejection.
Two of the burst tyres.
The incident necessitated a statement by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), saying it was investigating what caused the incident.
“This evening, Max Air’s flight NGL1649, a Boeing 737 with registration 5N-ADB, carrying 119 passengers and 6 crew members, was cleared for takeoff from Yola Airport en-route to Abuja,” wrote Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, the director of public affairs and family assistance at the NSIB.
“During the takeoff roll, a loud bang was heard, identified as the bursting of the rear gear tyres. Initially, two tyres burst. While attempting to taxi off the runway, the remaining two tyres also burst, rendering the aircraft completely disabled.”
In all three incidents, there were no fatalities. However, FIJ could not find any public records showing the airline compensated the traumatised passengers.
READ ALSO: Keyamo: Airlines Endanger Passengers’ Lives by Falsifying Maintenance Reports
FIJ had earlier reported that Keyamo, the aviation minister, disclosed in April that airlines in Nigeria were in the practice of filing falsified audit and safety reports to aviation regulators.
“Do you know that certain people falsify reports? I’m not talking about Dana now. I am not on air to campaign against Dana [Dana Air]. I want them to survive. I want them to do the right things. I am here to support to make sure that they are safe and healthy as a company and Nigerians are safe when they fly these airlines,” Keyamo had said.
“The truth of the matter is that there is falsification of reports in the system. Falsification of checks they do, falsification of training they do, pilots. This sector is one of the most corrupt that I have seen because people bypass regulations.”
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