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

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) confirmed that critical flight data from the black box of a private jet that landed on a road near Asaba Airport was overwritten after the aircraft was flown back to Lagos before investigators could secure it. The incident, involving a US-registered Bombardier Challenger 601-3A operated by VMO Aero Limited, occurred on 10 June and has raised significant concerns about aviation safety protocols and investigative procedures. The aircraft, which was flying from Lagos to Asaba under Instrument Flight Rules, landed on a paved road near the airport rather than the designated runway. The plane carried four crew members and three passengers, and no injuries were reported. Following the unusual landing, the crew decided to fly the aircraft back to Lagos before investigators arrived at the scene. This decision, according to the NSIB, led to the overwriting of essential flight data stored in the aircraft's flight recorder. Director-General of the NSIB, Alex Badeh, stated during a virtual media briefing that the return flight caused the flight recorder to overwrite data that could have aided the investigation. He noted that although the recorder was designed to store up to 26 hours of data, only about two hours of low-quality information was recovered. The data lost included the aircraft’s movements during the critical period leading up to the wrong-surface landing. The incident initially raised questions about how the aircraft ended up on the road despite being cleared to land at Asaba Airport. Preliminary reports suggested that the crew had discontinued their initial approach before attempting a second approach to Runway 11. They believed they were correctly aligned with the Required Navigation Performance procedure before landing on the road under construction near the airport. After departing the roadway, the aircraft returned to Lagos. Upon arrival in Lagos, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) grounded the aircraft and suspended VMO Aero Limited’s Permit for Non-Commercial Flight pending investigations. The incident also drew the attention of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who called the situation a serious security breach. He highlighted that the aircraft had been cleared by air traffic control to land on the runway but instead landed on a concrete road outside the secured airport environment. He also expressed concern over the crew’s decision to leave the scene before investigators could examine the aircraft. The crew was subsequently arrested upon arrival in Lagos and handed over to the State Security Services (SSS) for further investigation. According to Badeh, the pilot had flown the aircraft back to Lagos without clearance from Air Traffic Control, which compounded the difficulties faced by investigators. He explained that flight recorders operate on continuous recording systems, where newer information replaces older data once storage capacity is reached. This process meant that the return flight affected the availability of key information needed to reconstruct the sequence of events. Badeh emphasized that while the loss of data posed challenges, the NSIB was still working to gather as much information as possible through alternative methods. He acknowledged that the flight recorder did not function optimally and stressed that the cause of the incident remained under investigation. Although he ruled out deliberate destruction of evidence, he raised concerns about a broader issue affecting aviation safety, lack of trust between flight crews and safety investigators. He pointed to a troubling culture among some pilots who might withhold or alter information due to fears of job loss. Badeh attributed this to a general lack of trust and urged for improved communication and collaboration between flight crews and regulatory bodies. He reiterated that the NSIB does not support punitive measures and continues to reassure personnel that transparency is encouraged without fear of repercussions. The NSIB is also grappling with financial challenges that impact its ability to conduct thorough investigations. These issues include ongoing disputes over funding and operational resources, which have hindered efforts to improve safety standards and response times. Despite these obstacles, the agency remains committed to uncovering the full circumstances surrounding the Asaba incident and ensuring accountability where necessary.