Four days after an Air Peace Boeing 737- 300 made an emergency landing at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja , Pilot – in – Command of the flight, Captain Simisola Ajibola, Saturday broke her silence on the matter, debunking claims that she landed the airplane without tyres.
Ajibola said in Lagos that one of the tyres only pulled off after the nose wheel of the aircraft collapsed following hard landing.
She said the clarification was imperative because of different versions of the incident flying around.
Ajibola said: “The report about initial landing without tyres is not true. The incident happened after we touched down. I didn’t go into the air without tyres; we were not on a descent without tyres.
“Some reports say we called for emergency while in the air; that is not true. It was after we landed that we asked for emergency services. So whatever happened; happened on the runway that day.”
The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has already launched a probe into the incident. Its spokesman, Tunji Oketunbi said the bureau would soon release a preliminary report on the matter.
He said: “It is a cumbersome process. Some components have been retrieved from the airline to help with the investigation. So it will take some time but we are doing everything possible to ensure the report is out sooner than expected.”