In a remarkable incident, a flight engineer’s quick thinking and diligence saved passengers on an Ibom Airlines flight from a potential disaster.
Dr. Joe Abah, former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, shared the gripping account of the incident on Thursday.
Dr. Abah recounted that he and Oluseun Onigbinde, co-founder and Director of BudgIT, were aboard a 7 am flight from Lagos to Abuja when an unexpected turn of events unfolded. Moments before takeoff, a loud knock on the aircraft door startled everyone on board.
“The aircraft door was shut, phones switched off, and ready for takeoff,” Dr. Abah wrote on his social media handle. “As we were about to start taxiing, there was a loud knock on the aircraft door from outside. We all wondered what it could be. The knocking got more persistent. The flight attendant had to open the door again.”
To the surprise of the passengers, a ground engineer entered the aircraft and made a startling revelation. He informed the crew that the landing gear was faulty, rendering the flight unsafe. The pilot, after consulting with the engineer, addressed the passengers and announced that they would have to disembark for additional checks.
Expressing gratitude for the safety measures in place, Dr. Abah emphasized the importance of diligent professionals like the young Nigerian engineer. He remarked, “I thank God that we have the systems in place to check this and avert potential disaster. And that we have some diligent Nigerians who take their work seriously. If you are that young Nigerian engineer, God will bless you abundantly.”
Dr. Abah also appealed to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Agency to help him identify the engineer so that he could personally show his gratitude to their ‘saviour.’
When contacted, Ibom Airlines spokesperson, Annie Essienette, confirmed the incident, stating, “It is a technical issue. We were about to take off when someone alerted us about the faulty gear. As a precautionary measure, we decided to disembark the passengers. We are currently working on rescheduling the flight and rectifying the gear issue.”
It is worth noting that the Federal Government recently suspended the operations of Dana Airline due to safety concerns. This decision followed an incident involving one of the airline’s aircraft skidding off the runway at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. In response, the Ministry of Aviation, through the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, suspended the airline’s operations until a comprehensive audit is conducted.
By sharing this extraordinary account, Dr. Joe Abah has shed light on the crucial role played by vigilant professionals in ensuring the safety of airline passengers. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of thorough checks and procedures within the aviation industry.
