Another aviation accident averted as Dana Air plane overshoots the runway in Port Harcourt

PASSENGERS aboard a Dana Air flight flying from Abuja to Port Harcourt narrowly missed being involved in another major accident yesterday after the aircraft overshot the runway as it landed.

According to eyewitnesses, the aircraft, with number 9J0363, flew into Port Harcourt, the River State capital on a routine flight from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja. However, it overshot the runway as it landed, moving past the designated stop point, probably due to the fact that it was travelling too fast.

Fortunately, there are no recorded casualties from the incident, which may have been caused by the slippery runway due to the heavy downpour in Port Harcourt. Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, spokesperson Henrietta Yakubu, confirmed the incident.

She said: “A Dana aircraft numbered 9J0363, flying from Abuja to the Port Harcourt airport, has overshot the Port Harcourt runway. The incident was suspected to have been caused by heavy rainfall, which was accompanied by strong wind and storm in Port Harcourt and no casualty was recorded, as all passengers on board were safely evacuated.”

Dana Air has a history of aviation accidents in Nigeria as in 2012, one of its planes crashed in Lagos, killing 153 people on board. Earlier this month, the door also fell off a Dana plane while it taxied to a stop at the Abuja airport.