A pilot of Overland Airways made a successful landing of a distressed aircraft on the Runway 18R of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Wednesday evening June 15, after the plane’s engine caught fire mid-air.

The plane which was flown from Ilorin International Airport had 33 passengers onboard.

The Pilot-in-Command of the aircraft had declared a May Day which in aviation parlance implies an emergency situation while authorities at the airport had activated all emergency procedures as the crew tried to maneuver the plane.

The pilot finally landed the faulty ATR aircraft safely on the international airport’s runway amid a fully prepared airport emergency response team.

“Overland Airways wishes to inform the general public that its flight OF1188 from Ilorin to Lagos experienced an unusual high turbine temperature on one of its engines today, Wednesday June 15, 2022 around 7:50pm.

This occurred in the approach phase of flight and the aircraft landed very safely as the Crew skillfuly implemented their standard procedures for such abnormal situations.

All 33 passengers remained calm through the process and safely disembarked row by row in accordance with post COVID-19 procedures after the Aircraft came to a halt on the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos runway 18 Right. No passenger was hurt in any way.

Overland Airways salutes the professional interventions of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Accident Investigation Bureau Nigeria (AIB-N) which were very prompt and reassuring.

Overland Airways regrets any inconvenience to its passengers and assures the travelling public of its full commitment to safety of its services and passengers.”