Minna incident: NAMA, Max Air trade tackle over ILS

 The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has debunked claimed that its Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) were not serviceable and one that could have caused the emergency landing of Max Air’s B747-400 with registration 5N-DBK in Minna, Niger State.

 An Instrument Landing System (ILS) is a highly accurate radio signal navigation aid consisting of two antennas which transmit signals to receivers in the aircraft cockpit—a glide path tower located next to the runway at the northern end and a localiser antenna at the southern end.

The aircraft with 560 passengers departed Jeddah International Airport for Minna International Airport with no injuries to the returning pilgrims.

The Director of Flight Operations of Max Air Captain Ibrahim Dili had disclosed in a statement he signed that at the time of arrival of the aircraft at the Minna Airport, there was torrential rainfall with unstable wind.

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He added that the ILS at the airport was epileptic with unreliable signals and the pilot evacuated on approach, ‘using their wealth of experience and knowledge of the terrain and environment to a safe landing and stopped on the runway, during which one of the engines slightly brushed the runway due to the manouvers occasioned by strong downdraft, aircraft did not crash nor skid off the runway.”

 

But NAMA has denied such insinuation, saying it was constrained to react to the misinformation peddled by the airline, saying its equipment were working perfectly as at the time the incident occurred.

The attention of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has been drawn to a press release issued by Max Air Ltd on the incident involving its aircraft, a Boeing 747-400 with registration No. 5N-DBK at Minna airport on Saturday, the 7th of September, 2019.

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Spokesman for NAMA, Khalid Emeni in a statement made available to woleshadarenews said, “While we acknowledge that we have absolute confidence in the ability of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) to conduct a thorough investigation (which is ongoing), we are costrained to however put things in proper perspective for the benefit our airspace users and the flying public”.

He explained that the reported weather on the day in question was 10km visibility in nil weather.

“Secondly, the said Instrument Landing System was successfully calibrated early this year {2019} and there has been no report of non-alignment by the equipment from pilots since then. Other operators that have used the facility after the incident have not complained about the ILS malfunctioning”.

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“Thirdly, NAMA has made available other alternative approaches like the Performance Based Navigation (PBN) approach procedures and Very High Omni-directional Radio Range/Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) approach procedures which are alternatives to the ILS”.

He reassured airspace users and the general public that the Nigerian airspace remains safe for air travel, stressing that in futherance to this, the. Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, on August 29th, 2019 took delivery of a brand new Beechcraft 350 flight calibration aircraft to aid NAMA in the timely, regular and efficient conduct of flight calibration of its navigational facilities nationwide, in line with global best practices.

Wole Shadare