Nigeria’s National Safety Investigation Bureau has opened an investigation after a door separated from a Triton-operated Bombardier Challenger 604 shortly after departure from Abuja for Lagos. The aircraft, registered T7-SEI, returned safely to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport with nine people aboard after the crew declared a Mayday during the climb. No injuries were reported.
The aircraft departed at 16:12 UTC on 15 October and was about three nautical miles from Abuja, passing approximately 3,500 feet, when the door separated. It landed on Runway 22 at 16:34 UTC with three crew members and six passengers on board.
NSIB investigators recovered the detached door and secured it at the bureau’s wreckage hangar. The investigation will examine the circumstances of the occurrence, but no cause has been established.
Reports that the door was found on nearby farmland have not been independently confirmed by the NSIB. There is also no confirmed evidence that the incident resulted from a maintenance failure, design defect or operator fault. Further updates are expected as the investigation progresses.