The Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Umar Kadafur and over 100 passengers escaped death when an ill-fated Max Aircraft engine caught fire 10 minutes after taking off at the Maiduguri International Airport.
The incident which occured at about 7 pm on Wednesday caused severe pandemonium as the pilot and the crew on board en route to Abuja managed to make a U-turn/emergency landing at the Maiduguri airport.
A source at the Maiduguri Airport, who does not want his name in print confirmed the incident on Thursday morning, even as he said, the management of the airline had immediately mobilised another plane from Kano which conveyed some of the resilient passengers including the Deputy Governor to Abuja safely.
” Shortly after take off, the Max Aircraft hit a bird in the sky, which led to one of the engines catching fire”, the source said.
It was gathered that after the emergency landing, most of the passengers retreated and took their luggage back home, even as the airport authority assured them that another plane was on its way from Kano to ferry them to their destination.
Presently, the ill-fated Max Aircraft is still at the Maiduguri Airport undergoing serious repair as an investigation is ongoing.
Details later…
