Only the American pilot and God know how the aircraft landed on Delta Road.

While the Nigerian Safety Investigation Board (NSIB) investigates how a private aircraft with registration number N989BC landed on a road in the Ogwashi‑Uku area of Delta State, the incident continues to attract public attention.

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The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has revealed that the pilot of the private aircraft is an American‑licensed pilot aged 75, and the co‑pilot is 70.

“This aeroplane had a flight plan filed from Lagos to Asaba. That was his destination. He did go to Asaba, made an approach in Asaba. He could not land. He did a go‑around,” the NCAA said. “How he ended up landing on a strip or a road, a newly constructed road, only the pilot and his God could determine it.”

These remarks were made by NCAA Director of Operations, Licensing and Training, Capt. Don Spiff, on News Night, an Arise TV programme.

American licence

Spiff said both pilots held American licences and operated under United States aviation regulations. Neither was considered over‑aged under the applicable rules, and the aircraft was American‑registered.

He criticized the pilot’s decision to take off from the road after the incident, calling the action unauthorised.

He stated: “Before I say anything, I must remind you that investigations have already started on this incident. So, I must not preempt anything. However, I can tell you for sure that the Nigerian Safety Investigation Board, NSIB, that is mandated to carry out investigations on serious incidents and accidents is already on it. If they determine that it is not a serious incident, then they will hand it over to the NCAA.”

Age limits

“The pilots that flew that aeroplane have American licences. The pilot is 75. The co‑pilot is 70. The pilot is not over‑aged in America. The standards in Nigeria are slightly different from America. This aeroplane is an American‑registered aeroplane, November registration. The pilots that flew it hold American licences. They operate in America. They have different parts. They call them the condition of regulations. They are operating under what they call Section 14. And not only Section 14, this aircraft was operated under Section 14.”

On the rule in Nigeria he added: “In Nigeria, it is 65. Once you are 65, you stop flying commercial. But we are also reviewing our regulations. Aviation is a very dynamic field, it is not static. It is not stationary. It is an improvement, a modification every day. Nigeria itself is looking into it. It is in the Civil Aviation Act. It is yet to be implemented that after 65, a Nigerian pilot can actually fly private, not commercial, as long as he passes his first‑class medical. But these guys are not flying with Nigerian licence.”

Aircraft owner

“The owners of this aircraft will eventually be revealed when the investigation gets there. But the operator of this aircraft could be different from the owner. The operator is VMO Aero. It is a Nigerian company, but this aircraft is American registered, and because it’s American registered, the pilots hold American FAA licences and operate under Part 91 and Part 135 of the regulations of the FAA. It is not a breach. During the investigation, it would come out if there was any ulterior motive to it.”

“For him to have taken off, it was not allowed because he did not obtain any clearance for takeoff. He did a kamikaze (suicide mission) action. There will be penalties. So far, the NCAA has suspended their commercial certificate, which is called a PNCF.”

Asked about the safety of Nigerian airspace, he said: “I must say at this point that for one incident to have happened in so many months and so many years should not question the safety of Nigerian airspace. The Nigerian airspace is very safe. This was an isolated incident.”

Vanguard News

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