Captain Simisola Ajibola of Air Peace, who commanded the airline’s flight on July 23, which experienced a hard landing and nose wheel collapse, has debunked reports in some quarters that the aircraft landed without tyres, saying there was nothing like that.
Daily Trust, on Sunday, reported that the incident happened at the international runway of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
All the 133 passengers and crew members on board were evacuated safely.
Speaking with newsmen against the backdrop of some misinformation on the social media, the Captain said the incident happened after the aircraft touched down. She also said the aircraft was serviceable.
She said: “We had a very serviceable aircraft. Our aircraft are machines that are well maintained. It wasn’t the first flight of that day. When we flew the aircraft, it was perfectly in good shape.
“The report about initial landing without tyres is not true. The incident happened after we touched down. I didn’t go into the air without tyres, we weren’t on a descent without tyres.
“Some reports say we called for emergency while in the air and that is not true. It was after we landed that we asked for emergency services. So whatever happened, happened on the runway that day.”
The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has already commenced investigation into the incident.
Spokesman of the agency, Tunji Oketunbi, also confirmed this and said the AIB would soon come up with preliminary reports.
He said: “It is a cumbersome process. Some components have been retrieved from the airline to help with the investigation. So it will take some time but we are doing everything possible to ensure the report is out sooner than expected.”
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