Private Jet Loses Door Mid-Air, Makes Emergency Landing In Abuja
A private jet operated by Triton Aviation has made an emergency landing in Abuja after losing a door shortly after take-off, prompting the crew to issue a Mayday distress call.
The incident occurred on Thursday, October 15, 2026, when the CL60 aircraft, with registration number T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, was travelling from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
According to an air traffic control incident report obtained by The PUNCH, the aircraft departed Runway 22 at 4:17 pm Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
About three nautical miles from the airport, while climbing through 3,000 feet, the crew transmitted a Mayday distress call after reporting that a door had opened during the flight.
Air traffic controllers subsequently directed the aircraft to return to Abuja for an emergency landing.
The report indicated that airport fire and emergency personnel, alongside medical teams, were alerted and placed on standby while preparations were made for the aircraft’s return.
At about 4:29 pm UTC, the crew contacted the Abuja control tower and asked whether air traffic controllers could establish the condition of the door.
The duty air traffic controller attempted to observe the aircraft with binoculars but could not confirm the door’s condition because of the aircraft’s position, according to the report.
The aircraft eventually landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 pm UTC, about 14 minutes after the distress call.
Following the landing, the air traffic controller observed that the door was missing from the aircraft’s fuselage.
The jet was subsequently moved to the international apron extension and parked with the assistance of a marshaller, The PUNCH reported.
Missing door reportedly found on farm
In a related development, The PUNCH reported that farmers in the Abuja area found what was believed to be the missing aircraft door on a farm.
A video obtained by the newspaper showed a man explaining that the item was discovered as the farmers returned from their farm.
However, the identity of the man and the precise location where the door was recovered could not be independently established from the available reports.
The circumstances surrounding the detachment of the door also remain unclear.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, confirmed the incident to The PUNCH but said the matter fell under the jurisdiction of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.
The newspaper also reported that a source within the NSIB confirmed that investigators had been deployed to examine the incident, although the bureau had not issued an official statement at the time of publication.
Triton Aviation, the aircraft’s operator, could not be reached for comment by The PUNCH before its report was published.
The number of people aboard the aircraft, whether anyone sustained injuries and the circumstances that caused the door to detach were not established in the available reports.
The outcome of the safety investigation is expected to provide further information about the incident and its possible causes.
