Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation has directed that the operations of domestic carrier, Dana Airlines, be suspended due to concerns surrounding the safety and financial viability of their operations.
The Dana Airline MD-82 with registration number 5N BKI veered off the runway on Tuesday after the aircraft’s nose collapsed while landing at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. It was flying in from the country’s capital, Abuja with 83 passengers and crew members on board.
Authorities said that air traffic controllers observed the “nosewheel had retracted” causing the front of the plane to collapse. The pilot subsequently lost control and the aircraft veered off the runway before coming to rest on a grassy area.
All passengers and crew disembarked unhurt, and they were evacuated from the area, while runway 18L was immediately closed.
In a statement signed by the Acting Director General of NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, on Tuesday, the agency said the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) had retrieved the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder and investigations will commence immediately