A major aviation disaster was narrowly averted on Thursday, October 15, 2026, when a Bombardier Challenger 600 (CL60) private jet operated by Triton Aviation lost its main cabin door shortly after departing from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, forcing the crew to make an immediate emergency landing.
​The aircraft, bearing registration T7-SEI and flight callsign DWC052, departed Runway 22 at 4:17 PM UTC bound for Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
Just three minutes later, at 4:20 PM UTC, while passing 3,000 feet and positioned approximately three nautical miles outbound from the airport, the flight crew issued a frantic “MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY” distress call to air traffic control after the door opened and detached mid-flight.
​Following the distress transmission, radar controllers immediately vectored the aircraft back toward the airport for an emergency landing on Runway 22. Emergency response protocols were initiated. Fire watch and medical standby teams were alerted and instructed to position along taxiways A4 and A5.
In direct communication with the Abuja control tower at 4:20 PM UTC, the crew requested visual confirmation of whether the door was open. The Duty Air Traffic Controller (DATCO) attempted to inspect the approaching jet using binoculars, but the angle and position of the aircraft prevented visual confirmation.
The jet safely touched down on Runway 22, just 14 minutes after declaring the emergency.
​Upon touchdown, controllers observed that the door was entirely missing from the fuselage. The plane taxied safely to the International Apron Extension, coming to a park assisted by airport marshallers at 4:40 PM UTC. No injuries were reported among the crew or passengers.
​Shortly after the incident, local farmers returning from their fields on the outskirts of Abuja discovered the detached aircraft door intact in the bush. Video footage recorded by the farmers circulated widely on social media showing the debris.
​”This is what we found as we were returning from our farm. It fell from a plane, but we don’t know much about its identity,” a local resident noted in the recording.
​Regulatory and safety oversight agencies confirmed that an official investigation into the incident is underway.
​Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), confirmed the occurrence and stated that the serious incident falls under the purview of investigation authorities.
Representatives from the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) confirmed that a team of air accident investigators has been deployed to examine the aircraft and recover the door from the field site to determine the cause of the failure.
​Triton Aviation has not yet issued a public statement regarding the maintenance history or operational status of the jet.
