NSIB preliminary report: Crew lost situational awareness before roadway landing in Asaba

• Cockpit navigation indicators misled plane to land on nearby under-construction roadway
• Discovers structural damage to aircraft’s left nose-wheel assembly

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has officially released its preliminary report on a bizarre and serious aviation incident in which a private jet mistakenly landed on a paved roadway under construction rather than the runway at Asaba Airport, Delta State.

The crew told investigators that their cockpit navigation indications displayed the aircraft as fully established on the published RNAV (Area Navigation) Runway 11 approach profile.

However, instead of touching down on the designated runway, the aircraft landed on a nearby under-construction roadway.

The incident, which occurred on June 10, 2026, involved a Bombardier Challenger 601-3A aircraft with nationality and registration marks N989BC, operated by VMO Aero Limited.

According to the safety bureau, the aircraft was operating under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) from Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, to Asaba when the crew lost situational awareness during their final approach.

Details from the preliminary report reveal that during the approach to Asaba Airport, the flight crew discontinued their initial approach and repositioned for a second attempt on Runway 11.

Remarkably, despite the hazardous landing surface, no fatalities or injuries were recorded among the seven occupants on board, which included four crew members and three passengers.

Following the structural shock of landing on an uncertified road surface, the aircraft was shut down for a quick inspection while the passengers disembarked.

In a highly unusual turn of events, the aircraft subsequently took off from the same under-construction roadway and flew back to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

The NSIB noted that the return flight was completed “without further reported operational abnormalities.”

However, a post-flight examination conducted back in Lagos revealed structural damage to the aircraft’s left nose-wheel assembly.

The NSIB stated that the preliminary report contains strictly factual information gathered during the opening stages of the probe.

Evidence has been drawn from flight crew and witness accounts, Air Traffic Control (ATC) logs, and physical examinations of the airframe.

Crucially, investigator teams successfully retrieved the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR)—commonly known as the black boxes.

“The recorders were retrieved and downloaded at the Bureau’s Transport Safety Laboratory in Abuja,” the NSIB stated, adding that technical examinations and deeper data analysis are still active.

The bureau emphasised that this early report highlights only initial findings and immediate safety recommendations to prevent a recurrence, intentionally omitting any final analysis or conclusions on the incident’s definitive cause.

A final report detailing the official analysis and conclusions will be published upon the completion of the investigation, in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13 guidelines.

The full preliminary report has been made available to the public and media on the NSIB official website.

Wole Shadare