By Zainab Bakare
A private jet operated by Triton Aviation has made an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after losing a door mid-air shortly after take-off.
The CL60 aircraft, with registration number T7-SEI, was heading to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Thursday when the crew declared a Mayday emergency about three nautical miles from Abuja airport.
According to an incident report dated October 15, 2026, the aircraft took off from Runway 22 at 4:17 p.m.
UTC and was climbing through 3,000 feet when the crew reported an open-door problem.
Air traffic controllers subsequently directed the aircraft to return to Abuja for an emergency landing.
The report stated that airport fire and rescue personnel, as well as the medical team, were alerted at 4:22 p.m. UTC and placed on standby as a precaution.
The fire response team was also directed to position its equipment at access points A4 and A5 ahead of the aircraft’s return.
At about 4:29 p.m. UTC, the crew contacted Abuja Tower to ask whether air traffic controllers could see the aircraft’s open door.
The duty controller attempted to inspect the aircraft using binoculars but could not confirm the door’s condition because of the aircraft’s position.
The aircraft landed safely on Runway 22 at 4:34 p.m. UTC, approximately 14 minutes after the Mayday call.
However, after landing, the duty controller observed that the door was missing from the aircraft’s fuselage.
The jet was subsequently moved to the international apron extension and parked with the assistance of a marshaller at about 4:40 p.m. UTC.
The report did not indicate whether anyone was injured or establish the circumstances surrounding the loss of the door.
Further details on the cause of the incident and the outcome of any investigation were not provided in the report.
