Residents of Benin City, the Edo
State capital, were panic-stricken on Saturday [Aug 18] when an Arik Airline
aircraft carrying over 50 passengers and which hovered for about 15 minutes in
the airspace failed to land at its Benin Airport destination.
The incident, which occurred at
about 7.30 a.m., sent shivers down the spines of residents as some people
living around the airport hurriedly left their homes for fear that the aircraft
might crash land.
The aircraft, however, flew back to
Lagos after it failed to land in Benin.
A passenger aboard the aircraft who
pleaded anonymity said some “passengers fainted due to fear. We thought
it was going to be another serious crash. We were hovering round Benin, but we
could not land. People were shouting the name of Jesus until we were taken back
to Lagos”.
A source at the airport said there
was a possibility that the pilot failed to get landing clearance from the
Control Tower.
The Airport Manager. Mr. Segun Ayodele, told journalists
that he was not aware of the incident.
Tribune
No comments:
Post a Comment