The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has released its preliminary report, indicting an Air Peace pilot and a Co-pilot for taking hard drugs and alcohol.
The accident investigators tested the crew positive for the substances after the aircraft they flew was involved in a runway incursion at the Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.
This was contained in a preliminary report signed by the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance at Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, Mrs Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, made available to Daily Trust.
Salient Times had reported how an Air Peace aircraft, on 13th June, 2925, had a runway incursion after landing at the Port Harcourt International Airport, carrying 103 passengers.
The aircraft veered off the runway without any damage.
An aircraft incursion is the wrongful or unauthorised positioning of an airplane at the runway.
The NSIB said, “The aircraft, operating as a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt with 103 persons on board, landed long on Runway 21 after an unstabilised final approach. The aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and came to a final stop 209 metres into the clearway
“All passengers and crew disembarked safely, and no injuries were reported.”
According to the report, the domestic flight, which took off from Lagos, experienced an unstabilised final approach before landing long on Runway 21.
The NSIB revealed that the aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold, well beyond the recommended touchdown zone, and eventually came to a stop at 209 metres into the clearway. While all on board disembarked safely, the incident raised immediate safety concerns.
The preliminary reports say toxicological test results conducted on the flight crew turned out positive.
The Tests indicated the presence of alcohol in the system of the crew, while another crew member also tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active compound found in cannabis, colloquially referred to as “India hemp.”
The NSIB noted that these toxicology results were being assessed within the scope of human performance and safety management, both critical factors in aviation incident investigations.
