A Sokoto-bound Rano Air flight from Kano made an air return on Sunday when the aircraft, marked 5N-BZY, used for the operation, suffered an engine failure with smoke was detected in the cabin and flightdeck mid air.
The aircraft landed safely at about 15:34 hours Nigerian time, while passengers and crew disembarked without any incident.
Report indicated that oxygen masks were donned when smoke was noticed in the cabin and flightdeck.
This was confirmed by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Director of Airworthiness who said he has directed the aircraft to remain grounded until the conclusion of investigations
A rescue aircraft that was to then airlift passengers out of Sokoto had already boarded Abuja-Katsina passengers. It would have created problems to deboard those passengers. The flight out of Sokoto was, therefore, cancelled.
The incidented aircraft 5N-BYZ is still on the ground with engineers working on it.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, says it prioritizes safety. “The records are clear. More advanced countries have worse air incidents than Nigeria because, here, flights will get cancelled if there is the slightest concern about safety.”
