Abuja — To ensure the successful auditing of Chanchangi Airlines following the crash-landing of one of its Boeing 727 planes, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on 30 December restricted the firm's operations to the use of its Boeing 737 aircrafts.

The crash-landing occurred on 29 December at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos.

Media Assistant to the Director General of the NCAA, Mr Sam Adurogboye, who relayed the directive, explained that the auditing of Chanchangi will involve a re-evaluation of the hydraulic system of its 727 aircrafts.

As is standard practice, the grounding of the aircraft will continue throughout the duration of the investigations until it is determined that the problem is not unique to this brand of aircrafts.

Chanchangi currently has five Boeing 727 and two Boeing 737 aircrafts in its fleet.

Meanwhile, the NCAA has sent a commendation letter to the pilot of the aircraft, Captain Bode Olubiyi, for successfully manoeuvring the plane when he observed that its front tyres would not eject due to hydraulic failure. His diligence ensured that no casualties were recorded after the incident.

Olubiyi subsequently alerted the Control Tower, fire fighters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and security personnel, who were on hand to avert fire outbreaks and other potential hazards.

Before landing, and in order to prevent the aircraft from bursting into flames, the pilot also jettisoned its fuel into the Atlantic Ocean.

Chanchangi's Operations Manager, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, in a letter dated 30 December expressed the Airline's gratitude to the NCAA, FAAN and members of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) for the manner in which they urgently evacuated and guaranteed the safety of the passengers.

The aircraft, which had flown into Lagos from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, belly-landed after its nose wheel landing gear refused to eject. No passenger on board the plane was hurt.

The runway, which was closed to traffic in the wake of the incident, was reopened at approximately 11.55 p.m. on the same day, after the Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPU) removed the disabled aircraft and cleared accumulated debris.

Meanwhile, on 28 December the NCAA also grounded the Boeing 747 aircraft of IRS (scheduled for Hajj operations) as a result of the Airline's failure to carry out mandatory checks.