The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has indicted the pilot and co-pilot of an Air Peace flight for testing positive for alcohol and hard drugs following a runway excursion incident at the Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.
This disclosure was contained in a preliminary report signed by the NSIB’s Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs. Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, and made available to The PUNCH on Friday.
The incident occurred when an Air Peace Boeing 737 aircraft, operating a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt with 103 passengers on board, veered off Runway 21 after landing. Although the aircraft came to a stop 209 metres into the clearway, all passengers and crew disembarked safely, with no injuries or damage recorded.
According to the NSIB report, the aircraft landed long after an unstabilised final approach, touching down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold—well beyond the recommended touchdown zone.
Toxicological tests conducted at the Rivers State Hospital Management Department of Medical Laboratory, Port Harcourt, revealed that both the captain and the first officer tested positive for ethyl glucuronide, indicating recent alcohol consumption. In addition, a cabin crew member tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound found in cannabis.
The bureau noted that these findings are being assessed within the scope of human performance and safety management—critical factors in aviation safety investigations.
In response, the NSIB has issued immediate safety recommendations to Air Peace, including:
- Strengthening crew resource management training, particularly in handling unstabilised approaches and go-around decisions.
- Reinforcing internal procedures for crew fitness-for-duty monitoring before flight dispatch.
The bureau emphasised that while runway incursions can result from miscommunication, pilot error, faulty equipment, or poor runway conditions, this case highlights intoxication as a serious emerging safety concern.
