Conflicting Pilot Accounts, Missing ATC Records Complicate Probe into Executive Jet’s Road Landing After Aborting Approach to Asaba Airport
Flight N989BC, operated by VMO Aero after it landed on motorway in Asaba
By Arit Mbeh, with FlightGlobal report.
Nigeria’s aviation investigators have uncovered conflicting accounts from pilots, missing air traffic control (ATC) recordings and insufficient flight recorder data as they continue investigating the unusual landing of a US-registered executive jet on a road under construction near Asaba Airport.
According to FlightGlobal, the incident involved a Bombardier Challenger 601 business jet, registration N989BC, operated by VMO Aero, which landed on the road on June 10 after aborting its initial approach to Asaba Airport.
The aircraft had three pilots in the cockpit, including one serving only as an observer, as well as a cabin crew member and three passengers.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), in its preliminary report, noted that VMO Aero holds a permit for non-commercial operations, raising concerns that the passengers on board may not have been authorized under the company’s operating approval.
Investigators said efforts to reconstruct the incident have been hampered by missing evidence.
“Data recovered to date from the flight recorders has not yielded sufficient usable information to support a detailed reconstruction of the occurrence,” the NSIB stated.
The report also disclosed that disagreements emerged among the pilots before departure from Lagos over the aircraft’s flight management system and planned cruising altitude.
The flight proceeded normally until the crew commenced the Area Navigation (RNAV) approach to Runway 11 at Asaba.
The captain, who was making his first flight into Asaba Airport, told investigators that the aircraft’s navigation instruments indicated it was correctly aligned with the published approach.
However, poor weather conditions and low cloud affected visibility. The runway reportedly appeared displaced to the right of the aircraft’s track, prompting the crew to perform an orbit before executing a missed approach shortly after receiving landing clearance.
Although the control tower requested the reason for the go-around, investigators said there was no explanation in the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency’s operational records.
The inquiry further revealed that Asaba Airport’s tower voice recording system was not functioning at the time of the incident. As a result, investigators reconstructed communications from available operational records rather than actual audio recordings.
On the second approach, the crew said they reprogrammed the flight management system and realigned the aircraft with Runway 11.
The captain reportedly believed the paved surface ahead matched the expected runway environment and was consistent with the aircraft’s navigation guidance. The control tower subsequently cleared the aircraft to land.
Both operating pilots also stated that the observing pilot confirmed the surface ahead was the runway.
However, the observer presented a different version during interviews.
According to the NSIB, he said the aircraft remained in cloud until late in the approach, while the Ground Proximity Warning System repeatedly issued “Pull Up” alerts to avoid terrain. He added that he instructed the captain to abort the landing after spotting a telecommunications mast directly ahead.
The report also revealed that one passenger became alarmed after overhearing cockpit discussions and asked whether one of the pilots was undergoing training.
The aircraft eventually touched down on what the crew later realized was a road still under construction rather than the airport runway.
About 20 minutes after the landing, Asaba Air Traffic Control contacted the crew to ask whether they intended to take off again. The passengers had already disembarked and were later briefed by the captain after seeking an explanation.
VMO Aero management was informed of the situation. According to the company, the pilots expressed security concerns about remaining at the location while awaiting assistance.
However, investigators found conflicting accounts over the emergency response.
While rescue personnel informed the control tower that they had reached the aircraft approximately 35 minutes after the landing and found it apparently undamaged, the pilots insisted that no airport rescue or emergency officials physically reached the aircraft before it departed the roadway.
Because there was no functioning ATC audio recording, investigators said they could not determine whether additional communications occurred beyond those captured in reconstructed records.
The first officer told investigators that after inspecting the aircraft externally, the crew manually pushed it back, turned it around, and used a vehicle to inspect the road for obstacles before taking off from the roadway.
The jet departed about two hours after the incident and landed safely in Lagos roughly 42 minutes later.
A subsequent inspection discovered damage to the aircraft’s left nose-wheel assembly.
Although the NSIB has yet to determine the probable cause of the occurrence, investigators said the incident highlights the need for harmonized procedures governing aircraft recovery, emergency coordination among agencies, technical assessments, critical attention to control tower communication systems and preservation of evidence following aviation incidents.
