Stowaway: NCAA to sanction Arik pilot

Five days after the 13 years old boy, Master Daniel Ohikena, who stowed away at the main wheel well of Arik Air flight from Benin airport to the Murtala Muhammed Airport,  MMA, Lagos, indications emerged yesterday that the pilot of the aircraft might be  punished by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, for alleged professional negligence while on duty.

This came as FAAN, introduced new security measures in all the nation’s airports to prevent the re-occurrence of runway incursions, especially those without perimeter fences.

The apprehended teenager who stowed from Benin.

Vanguard gathered that the Director-General of NCAA, Mr. Fola Akinkuotu, had set up a committee to investigate the incident.

It was also gathered that the teenager, at the time of this report, was still being held in the custody of the Department of State Security, DSS, five days after he was arrested at MMA, Lagos.

The committee which was set up, Tuesday, sat up till yesterday probing the stowaway incident and alleged professional negligence of the pilot of the Arik Air’s aircraft.

A  source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the panel was set up to handle the issue professionally especially when it was confirmed that some passengers onboard alerted the cabin crew of spotting a strange element who passed under the aircraft, but who was not seen coming out of the the plane in Lagos.

Besides, it was confirmed that the cabin crew informed the pilot of the development and rather than handle the issue professionally, he ignored the information even though he contacted the control tower on the issue.

The source alleged that it was already established that the pilot was in a hurry to airlift the passengers to Lagos and airlift other passengers to Abuja Airport same day.

According to the source, “The committee has already established that the pilot didn’t handle the issue professionally because as a professional who was contacted on such danger, the onus was on him to abort the flight and ensure total screening of the aircraft and the pilot, but he didn’t do that. Rather, he wanted to beat the time and pick up passengers in Lagos. That was unprofessional. If he’s found wanting, NCAA will deal with him according to the law in the sector. We need to establish what really happened. That was why the committee was inaugurated by the Director-General.”

However, at the time of this report, the outcome of the yesterday’s meeting was not clear as the members were still at the meeting.

Also, it was not clear when the boy would be released from the SSS custody as the authority was still investigating the incident.

FAAN introduces new security measures

Meanwhile, FAAN,  has announced new security measures in all the nation’s airports to prevent the re-occurrence of runway incursions, especially those without perimeter fences.

At a briefing in Lagos, General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said that henceforth, a security vehicle would be deployed to a point within full view of the aircraft as it taxies out to take-off at the airports aimed at maintaining visual scrutiny until every departing aircraft was safely airborne.

Mr. Dati pointed out that the second measure was to ensure that all bushes at the airports across the country were cleared to ensure full view of the perimeter fence, to allow the control tower, FAAN Fire and Rescue observation posts and aviation security patrol teams sweeping view of the entire perimeter of an airport from their duty posts.

According to him, “Again, static observation posts will be erected at strategic locations within the perimeter fence of all airports to forestall premeditated and inadvertent unauthorised access to the airside. This will be complemented by motorised and foot patrols.”