AN air traffic controller at the Lagos airport control tower has given a graphic detail of how a light aircraft crashed on Thursday.
An Associated airplane on charter operation, with registration number 5N-BJY, ferrying the remains of a former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, some family members and friends crashed near the Joint User Hydrant Installations (JUHI), an aviation fuel depot at the Lagos airport, killing 13 passengers onboard.
A controller, who spoke to The Guardian under condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said from all indications the aircraft had a technical fault.
According to him, a female controller gave final clearance to the ill-fated aeroplane, adding that when the control tower cleared the airplane for take-off, “she was looking at the aircraft because of its size as at when it was cleared for take-off at link 4.”
“Before the aircraft got to link 4, it was supposed to have lifted up within links 4 and 5. She was looking at the aircraft; it crossed links 4, 5 and 6 before it managed to lift-up. As she was watching the aircraft, the lift-up was not as expected.
“Then, all of a sudden, she said she saw the aircraft turning right, probably to avoid the congested area and at that time, she knew there was a problem with the airplane. She said she was thinking that the aircraft wanted to make an air return land at the airport.
“In that right turn, she explained that she saw the plane nose diving. As the airplane was nose-diving, she notified the relevant agencies. All these happened in less than three minutes.”
Meanwhile, reactions have continued to trail the release of the aircraft for charter operations, considering the fact that the aircraft last flew on August 30, 2013.
A former spokesman for Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Muhammed Tukur who could not hide his anger towards what he called unlawful interference of the ministry of aviation in the running of the regulatory body, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), blamed the crash and problems confronting the domestic airlines on “too much pressures government mounting on them.”
Tukur, who raised the alarm over the rate the federal government, through the various aviation agencies, is stifling live out of the domestic carriers through multiple taxation, said this move is enough to force any of the airlines to cut corners to remain in business.
He cited the recent introduction of new tariff charges by the NCAA, which compels domestic carriers to henceforth pay $3,000 on each take-off while their foreign counterparts are to pay $4, 000.
According to Tukur, the charges are outrageous and coming at a time when the domestic airlines are already grappling with financial challenges.
He took a swipe at the aviation agencies led by the ministry of aviation for neglecting safety for money-making ventures
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