Panic as private jet door falls off mid-air, forces emergency landing in Abuja

A private jet operated by Triton Aviation made an emergency landing at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday after losing a door shortly after takeoff.

According to The PUNCH, the CL60 aircraft, registered T7-SEI, was travelling to Lagos when the incident occurred around 4:20pm.

An incident report revealed that the crew declared an emergency while climbing through 3,000 feet, about three nautical miles from the airport.

The pilots transmitted a distress call: “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.”

Air traffic controllers immediately directed the aircraft back to Abuja, while emergency personnel and firefighters were placed on standby.

The aircraft landed safely on Runway 22 around 4:34pm, approximately 14 minutes after the emergency declaration.

Controllers subsequently confirmed that the aircraft’s door was missing.

Meanwhile, farmers reportedly recovered the detached door from farmland around Abuja.

“This is what we found as we were returning from our farm. It fell from a plane, but we don’t know much about its identity. As I am sending it to you, sir, just check it.”

The number of passengers aboard remains unconfirmed.