Keyamo Explains How Aircraft Mistook Delta Road for Airport Runway

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has revealed that the aircraft which landed on a road near Asaba Airport in Delta State mistakenly touched down on a nearby construction road after its pilots reportedly mistook it for the airport runway.

Keyamo disclosed this during an appearance on TVC’s Politics Tonight, saying the aircraft, with registration number N989BC, had been cleared by the control tower to land at Asaba Airport but failed to arrive at the designated runway.

According to the minister, air traffic controllers became suspicious shortly after granting landing clearance when they could no longer see the aircraft approaching or on the airport’s runway.

He explained that the control tower contacted the crew after losing visual contact with the aircraft, only to be informed that it had already landed.

“The tower in Asaba cleared them to land. After about two minutes, the tower called and said, ‘Where is your location? I can’t see you again. I can’t see you on the tarmac,'” Keyamo said.

He noted that because the control tower provides a clear view of the runway and apron, officials immediately knew something was wrong when the aircraft was nowhere in sight.

“They said they had landed, so the tower asked, ‘Landed where?’ I can see the whole of the runway and aprons, but you are not there,” the minister added.

Keyamo said investigations later showed that the pilots had landed on a newly constructed road located close to the airport after apparently mistaking it for the runway.

According to him, the road’s appearance may have contributed to the error.

“They said they landed on a roadway that they saw. It happened that it was a construction site very close to the airport. They saw a beautiful road there that looked like a runway and landed there,” he said.

The minister disclosed that before aviation authorities could reach the location to question the crew, the aircraft departed for Lagos after disembarking its passengers.

He stressed that the aircraft suffered no mechanical fault, a development he said was evident from its ability to take off again without difficulty.

“There was no mechanical failure, and that was why they could take off again,” he stated.

Keyamo said the incident has now gone beyond an aviation matter and is being treated as a national security issue.

He disclosed that the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, adding that their findings would be submitted to President Bola Tinubu.

“Those facts are before the Department of State Service. It has gone beyond aviation; it is now a security concern. Security agencies are looking into that, and there are reports they will first send to Mr President because it is a matter of national security,” the minister said.

The unusual landing, which occurred several weeks ago in the Ogwashi-Uku area of Delta State, sparked widespread concern over aviation safety and airport security, prompting investigations by both aviation regulators and security agencies.