AIR CRASH RESCUE NEWS:
July 26, 2005 - Lufthansa Plane Overrruns Runway in Lagos
LAGOS, Nigeria - Less than three weeks after a cargo plane belonging to Uganda's Almiron Aviation overshot the Lagos runway, another plane owned by Lufthansa overrran the runway on Sunday at the touch down zone (the same spot where the former happened) of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos.
THISDAY checks reveal that the plane wearing the inscription- A330 Airbus -with registration number D/AIKH had overrran the runway following a sudden hydraulic problem which it developed with its system, forcing it to land. It was while landing that the same runway where temporary repairs had been effected last week, gave way immediately because the repairs were just make-shift arrangements which had no enduring features.
It was gathered that the plane which is a 300 series had a total of 193 passengers on board, includng four infants. The breakdown showed that while 78 plus 2 infants were Lagos bound, the remaining 115 and two infants were Accra, Ghana bound. The A330 was flying straight from Frankfurth, Germany. Sources said no live was lost and no one sustained injuries in the incident.
It would be recalled that about two weeks ago, the same Lagos runway was overshot by a cargo plane reportedly owned by Uganda's Almiron Aviation, exactly a month after a similar incident by Chanchangi Airlines and EAS Airlines,respectively.
The aircraft in question at that time with the inscription, "Natali" was sold January 2005 to the new Ugandan cargo airline, Almiron Aviation, and before commencing operations in April 2005, was parked at Entebbe, International Airport for about four months. Its first operation was from Dubai to Lagos and the aim was to operate in Europe, Asia and the rest of Africa.
But yesterday's incident which occured at about 5 pm paralyzed activities at the Lagos airport for over one hour. Rescue team was said to have arrived later from the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria(FAAN) which cleared the runway before normal business was restored at the airport.
Sources hinted THISDAY that immediately the plane had problems with its hydraulic system, a situation which caused it to overrun the runway, the mood of passengers on board was tense as they scampered for safety while the plane was emmitting smoke from its hydraulic system, fuelling fears that the plane was about to be engulfed by fire.
Said a source who witnessed the incident: "Inmmediately the thing happened many passengers scampered about for safety because there was smoke because of the problem the plane had with its hydraulic system. So it took about an hour to tow it away. It has been cleared now and normalcy has returned to the airport as I am speaking to you now."
It was gathered that temporry repairs had indeed been carried out at the the very spot where yesterday's incident occured. Aviation Industry sources said that the potholes at the touchdown zone of the lagos runway were repaired last tuesday and wednesday, respectively by FAAN officials. But they were just temporary arrangements.
The Aviation industry has been hit by tales of woes in recent times. For instance EAS Airlines had on June 11, 2005 overshot the runway at the Jos Airport while Chanchangi Airlines also overshot the runway in Lagos June 12, 2005.
Similarly, barely three weeks ago, some cows were shepherded across the runway at Port Harcourt airport, leaving an Air France pilot with no other option than to ram into them.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) which oversees the nation's airports have complained seriuosly in the past that there is need for far-reaching repairs at the nation's airports. There are 22 airports scattered across the country, 18 of which the Authority says are not viable and have to be sustained from revenue generated from the viable four which are Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos; Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; Port Harcourt Airport and Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja.