Preliminary report released by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) on the Arik Air serious incident of February 11, 2026, which occurred at the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), indicates that the occurrence was survivable.

The report, however, said that the crew declared May Day to the Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) and later diverted the plane to Benin Airport.

The preliminary report released by the Director-General, NSIB, Alex Badeh Jr., on Friday, said that the aircraft, a Boeing 737-700 with the registration number: 5N-MUF, as of the time of the occurrence, still had a “livable volume in the cockpit and cabin.”

NSIB said that the aircraft’s fuselage integrity was not compromised, while the restraint systems, such as seatbelts and shoulder harnesses, were intact.

The serious incident occurred during the climb out from FL 260 to FL 290 en route to Obafemi Jeremiah Awolowo International Airport (DNPO), Port Harcourt.

NSIB further said that despite the impact of the serious incident on the fuselage, there was no fire in the aircraft.

NSIB in the report also stated that a post-occurrence medical examination, which was conducted on the flight crew at the Kupa Aerospace Clinic at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Two (MMA2), Lagos, also the same day of the occurrence, indicated that the crew tested negative for alcohol, drugs and other psychoactive substances.

According to the preliminary report, the initial findings indicated that while the aircraft was climbing from FL 260 to FL 270, the flight crew heard a loud bang and a grinding noise, followed by vibrations from the number one engine.

The report added that the number six fan blade of the number one engine was missing upon landing at Benin, adding that as of December 24, 2019, the incident engine ESN 805612 was installed in the number two position on an aircraft with Romanian registration, YR–BMD, operated by Blue Air Aviation S.A. – CAMO.

NSIB, however, said that investigations into the cause of the serious incident were still ongoing.

At the time of the serious incident, the aircraft had 87 souls on board, including seven crew members. The aircraft sustained significant damage to the affected engine, based on an initial visual assessment by NSIB.