by ‘Jola Sotubo

Another aviation disaster was averted yesterday as an Overland Airways plane originally bound for Abuja had to make an emergency landing in Lagos.

The aircraft, which had 48 passengers on it, had to divert its course and head for Lagos when the pilot noticed a crack in the windshield while in flight.

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency has confirmed the incident through its General Manager for Public Affairs, Supo Atobatele.

Daily Independent reports:

He explained that the pilot while airborne noticed some cracks on the windshield and subsequently requested to divert the aircraft to Lagos being the base of the airline to allow for change of plane for the passengers.

Atobatele added that the plane was airborne at about 8.42 a.m, diverted at 8.57 a.m and that it landed in Lagos at 9.43 a.m.

He said there were 42 passengers and six crewmembers onboard the aircraft as at the time of the incident, adding that what the pilot did was safety precautionary measure.

“There is no cause for alarm as the diversion was precautionary and this conforms to the basic safety norms of the industry,” Atobatele said.

Attempts to get Overland officials to speak on the issue failed, as they could not be reached as at the time of compiling this report.

Among those on the plane were Oyo State Information Commissioner, Gbade Lana, National Population Commissioner, Abdul-Lateef Gbadamosi, former President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lanre Ogundipe, and an officer in the Oyo State Accountant General’s Office, Demola Akinlabi.

It was gathered that the plane took off at the Alakia, Ibadan local airport.

A passenger on the plane told our reporter on phone: “We were midway in the Niger State airspace when the aircraft windshield got broken and the pilot made a detour to Lagos”.

Three hours after their landing in Lagos, it was later gathered that the passengers were moved into another Overland aircraft arriving from Enugu, which subsequently took them to Abuja.