Air Peace has debunked a claim in some quarters that its aircraft, a Bowing 737-400, which had an incident at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos last week, landed without tyres.
This was as Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) said that it had commenced investigation into the incident and would come up with a report soon
The airline said the incident occurred after the aircraft had landed at the airport.
Capt. Simisola Ajibola, pilot of the aircraft, stated this in an interview with journalists in Lagos.
She insisted that the airline had serviceable fleet of aircraft, which had been maintained regularly, according to international best practices.
She said: “We had a very serviceable aircraft. Our aircraft are machines that are well maintained. It wasn’t the first flight of that day. When we flew the aircraft it was perfectly in good shape.
“The report about initial landing without tyres is not true. The incident happened after we touched down. I didn’t go into the air without tyres, we weren’t on a descent without tyres.
“Some reports say we called for emergency, while in the air and that is not true. It was after we landed we asked for emergency services. So, whatever happened, happened on the runway that day,” Ajibola added.
However, Tunji Oketunbi, the General Manager, Public Affairs, AIB, said the agency had commenced investigation into the incident.
Oketunbi assured that AIB would come up with preliminary reports soon, adding, “It is a cumbersome process. Some components have been retrieved from the airline to help with the investigation.
“So, it will take some time but we are doing everything possible to ensure the report is out sooner than expected,” Oketunbi added.
