The airline took to Instagram to explain its version of the event, which differs in fine details with that of the unnamed passenger who first broke the news of the incident.
The message signed by one Adebanji Ola says “unknown source of smoke was detected in the cabin 81 miles from Accra” prompting the pilot to declare “an emergency in line with standard operating procedures.”
The statement did not address the failure of the oxygen mask to deploy nor the alleged neglect to provide medical assistance to passengers after the plane landed.
Read the full message:
The captain of the flight briefed the passengers accordingly assuring them that the aircraft was under control and safe for landing in Accra.
The aircraft, a Dash 8 Q400, landed safely in Accra without further incident and all passengers disembarked normally.
The aircraft is currently parked in Acrra and our team of engineers are conducting comprehensive inspections on the aircraft to ascertain the cause of the smoke, after which the aircraft will be flown without passengers to a maintenance facility for rectification and testing. The relevant aviation authorities in Ghana and Nigeria have been briefed appropriately on the incident.
Signed:
Adebanji Ola
The incident is the latest in a series of near misses in recent time that has occurred in the Nigeria aviation sector. One wonders what FAAN is doing or are they waiting until we have another Sosoliso?
