From AllAfrica.com
Nigeria: Probe of Virgin Emergency Landing Begins
18 April 2008
Posted to the web 18 April 2008
Ahamefula Ogbu
Port Harcourt
As speculations are still rife over the actual cause of the emergency landing of the Boeing 737 Virgin Atlantic plane bound for Duala, Cameroon Wednesday evening in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Accident Investigation Bureau, National Civil Aviation Authority has commenced investigations.
Port Harcourt Zonal Manager of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mr. Godknows Ugwuzor confirmed that the investigators were already on ground and were expected to come out with the comprehensive answer to the actual cause of the emergency landing.
As at the time THISDAY visited the airport yesterday, the aircraft marked 5N-VND was still parked at the airport though some people who spoke off record said the problem with the aircraft was not a serious one but that the pilot did not want to take chances.
No fewer than 111 passengers on board the aeroplane including the full squad of the U20 female national team known as the Falconets survived the near mishap which left some of the passengers with minor injuries.
However, Virgin Nigeria officials at the airport dismissed the apprehension which attended the news of the incident saying it was not serious. They added that the alarm may have been due to smoke from a passenger luggage which the sensitive gadgets in the aircraft interpreted as fire and sounded the alarm.
They also claimed that all the passengers in the affected aircraft have been safely flown to their various destinations with another aircraft and blamed the stampede by passengers for some of the injuries.
He said, Nobody could have been injured if all the passengers had carried out the instructions given by our officials inside the airport. Out of all those, who were injured, only three were taken to the Shell Clinic, while others were treated at the clinic within the airport.