Forty-nine passengers Tuesday escaped death after a Dana Air plane overshot the runway of the Port Harcourt Airport.
A Dana aircraft with registration number 5N-SRI performing a flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt overshot the runway and ended up in the bush in Omagwa, Port Harcourt.
Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) confirmed the incident in a statement issued in Lagos.
Yakubu said: “A Dana aircraft flight 9J0363, flying from Abuja to Port Harcourt airport, has overshot the Port Harcourt runway.
“The incident was suspected to have been caused by a heavy rain, which was accompanied by strong wind and storm in Port Harcourt.
“No casualty was recorded, as all passengers on board were safely evacuated.”
Mr Sam Adurogboye, General Manager, Public Relations, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), also confirmed the incident.
Adurogboye said the aircraft was partially damaged after it overshot the runway.
“I learnt the runway has been closed but it will be reopened before the next 30 minutes after inspection has been carried out on it.
“Forty-nine passengers were on board and safely evacuated. The aircraft came in from Abuja to Port Harcourt, “he said.
The airline which experienced a crash in 2012 killing 153 passengers in a Lagos suburb also recently witnessed a scandal where its exit door fell off upon landing in Abuja.
