Former President Olusegun Obasanjo alongside 392 passengers just escaped a plane crash in Lagos.
According to reports, Obasanjo and the other passengers were aboard an Ethiopian Airlines plane, en-route Nigeria from Ethiopia.
Other prominent Nigerians in the Ethiopian airline passenger aircraft, Boeing 777-300, included the director general of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni.
Also in the plane was Prof Samson Tunde Adebayo, the director of ports inspection, National Agency For Food And Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC) as well as scores of Nigerians and other nationals, Legit NG reports
The passenger aircraft, ET-901, had departed the Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa, at about 9.10 am, Ethiopian time; 7 am Nigerian time.
The almost 5-hour flight from the Ethiopian capital to Lagos had been smooth until the pilot attempted to land at the Murtala Muhammed International airport.
Rather than landing on the first touchline of the runway, the pilot over short it, due to rain and heavy wind, landing on the third touchline.
Reports have it that, on realizing this, the pilot quickly maneuvered the plane back air, flying out of the Lagos airport.
After hovering around between Lagos and areas suspected to be in Ogun, causing panic in passengers and crew members, the plane landed in Lagos airport, some 20 minutes after the initial false landing.
The duty manager and Chief Customer Service (Nigeria) of the airline, Mr. Otori Jimoh Otan, said if the pilot had continued taxing down after landing on the third touchline, he would have overshot the runway.
“But this is an experienced pilot. He realized this immediately. Fortunately, the distance between when he realized the situation still permitted him to take off and renegotiate landing,” Otori said.
“These things happen. That is where the sophistication of the aircraft and experience of the cabin crew members come in.
“The aircraft is one of the best you can have around and we are fortunate to have pilots who know their onions” he said.
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