The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has commenced an investigation into the mid-air separation of a door from a private jet operated by Triton Aviation shortly after take-off from Abuja.
The bureau also confirmed that all nine people on board the Bombardier Challenger 604 aircraft — three crew members and six passengers — were accounted for after the aircraft returned safely to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The incident occurred on Thursday, October 15, 2026, as the aircraft, registered T7-SEI, was operating flight DWC052 from Abuja to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
According to the NSIB, the aircraft was about three nautical miles from the airport and climbing through 3,500 feet when the crew declared a Mayday emergency after the door detached.
The crew subsequently returned to Abuja, landing safely on Runway 22 at 16:34 UTC.
In a statement on Friday, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr, confirmed that the missing door had been recovered.
“The door has been recovered and secured at the NSIB wreckage hangar. The Bureau has commenced its investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the occurrence,” he said.
The bureau added that further updates would be provided as the investigation progresses.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) also confirmed the occurrence but referred further enquiries to the NSIB, which is responsible for investigating serious aviation incidents.
The investigation is expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the door separation. No cause has been officially determined.
The aircraft’s safe return followed an emergency response by air traffic controllers, who directed the crew back to Abuja and alerted airport fire and medical teams to stand by.
The missing door was reportedly found on farmland in the Abuja area before it was recovered and secured by the NSIB.
The bureau said it would release additional information as the investigation progresses.
Meanwhile, investigation has revealed that the private jet reportedly belonging to Nigerian billionaire businessman Kola Karim, chairman of the board of directors of Shoreline Natural Resources Limited (SNRL), reportedly lost a door mid-flight at an altitude of about 3,000 feet, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Abuja.
The aircraft T7-SEI is a Bombardier Challenger 604 private jet associated with Shoreline Energy International, a Nigerian energy company, and operated by Triton Aviation, according to information obtained by SaharaReporters.
Karim chairs the board of SNRL and its parent company, Shoreline, an industrial group focused on infrastructure, energy and related investments in sub-Saharan Africa.
CKN NEWS had earlier reported that the private jet, identified as a CL60 with registration number T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, was travelling from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja to the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos when the incident occurred on Thursday.
According to an incident report, the crew informed air traffic control that a door had opened during the flight at about 4:20 p.m.
The approach radar controller subsequently directed the aircraft to return to Abuja, where it made an emergency landing.