Plane crash averted as Dana aircraft crashes into bush in P/Harcourt

An aircraft belonging to Dana Airline on Tuesday overshot the runway at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State.


The plane, which was flying in from Abuja, skidded off and went into the bush near the runway.

No life was lost; all the passengers and crew disembarked to safety.

Dana blamed “inclement weather” for the incident, saying the pilots encountered “very stormy weather and strong winds upon landing”.

“Thankfully there were no casualties and all our passengers and crew on board were disembarked safely with timely response from ground emergency services,” the airline management said of the incident.

The airline commended the pilots for navigating the aircraft to a “complete stop under the circumstance and brought all the precious lives of our passengers and crew to safety.”

It said, “We wish to once again reassure our guests that their safety and comfort remain our top priority and we shall continue to adhere strictly to high standards and recommended practices as required by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.”

The airport authority, FAAN, in its reaction said the incident was as a result of the ​bad weather situation ​and torrential rain at the time of landing.

The agency also said that no casualty was recorded and all passengers and crew disembarked safely.

“We commend the Pilot-in -command who was able to control the aircraft to a complete stop, before passengers and crew disembarked,” a Dana spokesperson said in the firm’s statement late Tuesday night.

“We also wish to applaud the captain for exhibiting the highest safety standards and handling the situation professionally.”