‘Go-round’ incident involving ET flight 901 at Lagos Airport is normal, FAAN MD

The Nigerian public was recently caught in a wave of panic following news reports about a “near crash” incident involving Ethiopian Airlines’ flight 901 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, but authorities have said it was unnecessary media hype.

According to reports, the aircraft had departed the Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa, at about 9:10 a.m (Nigerian time) for Lagos, but had to abort first landing attempt in order not to overshoot the runway as a result of the wet surface.

‘It was gathered that the pilot did a “touch and go” but landed safely on the second attempt.

Reacting to the sensational headlines following the incident, the Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Capt. Hamisu Yadudu, said the aborted landing of the aircraft was a normal safety procedure in the global aviation industry.

In an interview with aviation journalists at the agency’s headquarters on Wednesday, Yadudu said pilots were encouraged to go for a go-around if the situation called for it, stressing that inasmuch as the aircraft had enough fuel in its belly, it doesn’t affect safety.

According to him, pilots were tutored on go-around in the cause of their training, insisting that it was not an abnormal situation and expressed surprise as the controversies the news generated in the media especially on social media.

He said: “A go-around is a normal procedure, not an abnormal situation. Even, abnormal situations are even catered for by the aircraft manufacturers and even the system. In all procedures, you have redundancy, which is also known as alternatives.

“I remember I did a go-around twice in one of our airports. As long as you have enough fuel in your aircraft, you can do a go-around. It is also part of the training we go through. In the cause of your training, you can do a go-around about five or seven times in a flight. Flying is a serious business. We have a duty to report accurately about the industry. Whatever is reported here, goes viral. So, everyone has the duty to report accurately and objectively about the industry.”

Ethiopian management has said that the flight ET 901, which departed from Addis Ababa to Lagos, encountered bad weather during landing and made a go-around the airport for a better and smooth landing.

Firihiewot Mekonnen, General Manager, Ethiopian Airlines, Nigeria insisted that the decision of the pilot to abort the flight when he did was in tandem with standard procedure.

The airline said: “On a second attempt, it made a safe and normal landing. According to safety standard, pilots are encouraged to make a similar go-around in such cases.”

It would be recalled that a report had said on Wednesday that former President Obasanjo and 392 other passengers onboard Ethiopian Airlines aircraft were involved in an incident at the Lagos Airport when the pilot attempted to land on the wet runway but had to do a “touch and go” in order to avoid overshooting the runway.

The report also mentioned Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni, Director-General of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Prof. Samson Tunde Adebayo, the Director of Ports Inspection, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) with many other Nigerians.