Multiple deaths were averted Tuesday afternoon as the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado-Bayero, alongside other passengers aboard a Kano-Abuja Max Air plane developed engine failure 10 minutes after take-off from the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), causing panic among passengers.
Although scheduled to take off by 1.30 pm, the fully booked Max Air aircraft marked VM1645 took off at 2:00 pm, 30 minutes behind departure time.
Ten minutes after take-off, the aircraft reportedly began to “swerve around mid air” until it made a detour for an emergency landing.
Sources disclosed that the aircraft engine was hit by a bird during take-off, affecting some of the blades of the aircraft engine, forcing the captain of the aircraft to make an air-return, a standard practice in aviation to forestall an accident caused by an “engine failure.”
Max Air is yet to issue an official release as of press time. A palace source, who was also onboard the plane, confirmed the incident said: “we smelt death.”
A similar bird strike forced an Aero Contractors Aircraft to make an air return a few minutes after take off at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on May 21, 2021
Samaila Suleiman, who was one of the passengers aboard said it was “a near-death incident,” as he accused the airline of negligence. Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado-Bayero, and some of the other passengers were still flown to Abuja in the same Max Air plane after it was fixed.
Max Air, a Nigerian domestic and international airline is owned by business mogul, Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal, while the company’s head office is located in Kano State.
