How Benin runway incident exposed fresh safety gaps, triggered recommendations — NSIB

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has identified safety concerns around the runway-end environment, control tower line of sight and availability of meteorological information following the runway overrun involving an Enugu Air aircraft at the Benin Airport in Edo State.

Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.

Open in WhatsApp

The bureau has consequently issued four immediate safety recommendations to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) as part of its ongoing investigation into the 23 July incident.

The recommendations, numbered A-2026-039 to A-2026-042, were contained in the preliminary report disclosed by the NSIB in a statement issued on Friday by its Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Funke Arowojobe.

The report concerns an Embraer ERJ 170-100LR aircraft, registration number 5N-ENR, operated by Enugu Air Limited on scheduled passenger flight ENU4264 from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, to the Oba Akenzua II Airport, Benin.

The aircraft had 63 passengers and five crew members on board when it landed on Runway 05 at about 2:55 p.m. It subsequently continued beyond the runway end into an unpaved area, where it struck approach-lighting installations and two fixed concrete structures associated with a decommissioned localiser installation.

All 68 occupants were evacuated safely using the aircraft’s emergency escape slides, with no injuries reported.

The latest findings provide the first detailed account from the accident investigation since the occurrence temporarily led to tbe shutdown of the Benin Airport runway and disrupted scheduled flights.

Stay Ahead with Premium Times

Add as a preferred source on Google

What happened before the overrun

According to the preliminary report, the aircraft departed Lagos at about 2:19 p.m. for Benin and completed its take-off, climb, cruise and descent phases normally.

The crew was initially cleared to conduct an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to Runway 23 but later requested and received approval for an RNAV approach to Runway 05.

During the approach, the crew raised concerns about rain around the airport. The control tower subsequently advised that the approach path to Runway 23 appeared to have better conditions.

The crew, however, continued with the RNAV approach to Runway 05.

At about 2:48 p.m., the tower informed the crew that visibility was approximately 1,500 metres in moderate rain. The aircraft was subsequently cleared to land on Runway 05, with the crew also cautioned that the runway surface was wet.

The NSIB’s preliminary report does not, however, establish that any of these factors individually caused the runway overrun. The bureau said its investigation remains ongoing and that further technical examination and analysis are required.

The report was compiled from information obtained through several sources, including witness statements, flight recorder data, air traffic control communications and preliminary inspection of the aircraft.

NSIB flags airport safety issues

The four recommendations issued by the bureau focus on the conditions and systems surrounding the runway rather than assigning responsibility for the occurrence.

The NSIB identified the runway-end environment, the control tower’s line of sight and the availability of meteorological information as areas requiring attention by the relevant aviation agencies.

The recommendations are intended to address safety issues identified during the investigation and reduce the possibility of similar occurrences.

The bureau also released a preliminary recreation of the aircraft’s flight path based on information available at the current stage of the investigation.

It said the video was part of its effort to improve transparency and communicate relevant safety information to the public while the investigation continues.

The NSIB cautioned against treating the preliminary findings as a final determination, stressing that the information remains subject to further review and could change as investigators obtain and analyse additional evidence.

The final report, according to the bureau, will contain its conclusions and any further safety recommendations arising from the completed investigation.

The incident had consequences beyond the aircraft and its occupants.

Following the occurrence, FAAN temporarily closed the Benin Airport runway to facilitate the recovery of the aircraft and allow authorities to conduct safety assessments.

The closure disrupted scheduled flights, forcing airlines operating to and from Benin to cancel or adjust their services.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the runway reopened after 12 days, with ValueJet announcing that its flights to and from Benin would resume from 5 August, confirmed by FAAN.

The reopening restored the runway to operational use, but did not signify the conclusion of the NSIB investigation.

In aviation, an airport can resume operations after safety assessments while a separate accident or occurrence investigation continues. The operational reopening is aimed at establishing that the facility is safe for use, while the investigation seeks to determine what happened and identify measures that could prevent a recurrence.

NSIB says investigation is not about blame

The bureau said the preliminary report should not be interpreted as an attempt to establish liability against the airline, flight crew, airport authorities or any other party.

READ ALSO: Asaba Incident: Aircraft’s black box data overwritten after crew flew back to Lagos – NSIB

It said the investigation is being conducted in accordance with Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, whose primary objective is the prevention of future accidents and incidents.

The NSIB therefore urged the public and other stakeholders to avoid drawing conclusions about the cause of the occurrence before the investigation is completed.

The bureau said further technical work would be undertaken before its final conclusions are reached.

For Benin Airport, the recommendations come 16 days after the reopening of the runway following nearly two weeks of disruption. They also provide aviation authorities with specific areas to examine as they work to strengthen safety around the airport.

While no passenger or crew member was injured in the Enugu Air occurrence, the NSIB’s preliminary findings show that the incident exposed issues beyond the aircraft itself, particularly around the conditions, visibility and information available during the approach and at the end of the runway.