The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), has been tasked to provide the details of the meteorological and operational conditions at Asaba airport, prior to the recent highway landing by a private jet.

The Bombardier Challenger CL-601 business jet with the registration number: N989BC is owned by a United States-based company, Best Aircraft Deals and operated in Nigeria by VMO Aero Limited.

A former pilot with the defunct Nigeria Airways, Mohammed Badamasi, questioned the explanations so far provided by aviation authorities and called for greater transparency in the ongoing investigation.

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had described the aborted landing at Asaba Airport as a missed approach, but the reasons behind the manoeuvre had not been clearly disclosed to the public.

Badamasi expressed surprise that almost two weeks after the incident, NAMA was yet to make a public statement on the circumstances surrounding the incident.

He said: “In all the conversations we have been hearing, I have not read any statement from NAMA about the meteorological conditions at Asaba airport that led the pilot to carry out a missed approach.

“Instead, it is reported that the NCAA stated that the aborted landing at a destination airport was a missed approach without providing reasons for its execution.

“NAMA is the agency under which the air traffic controllers operate. It is in a better position to let us know the reason for the aborted landing.”

Badamasi argued that if weather or operational limitations rendered Asaba Airport unsuitable for landing, the aircraft should ordinarily have proceeded to designated alternate airports such as Benin or Osubi, rather than landing on a highway.

He declared that so far, there had been several inconsistencies in reports of the incident.

Besides, he raised concerns over reports that passengers and cargo were disembarked before the aircraft later departed from the location, suggesting that investigators should determine whether all regulatory requirements, including flight planning procedures, were complied with.

According to him, aviation operations are governed not only by international standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), but also by local aviation laws, which all pilots operating in Nigeria must observe regardless of nationality.

Badamasi emphasised that compliance with aviation regulations was as important as a pilot’s experience, adding that operational decisions must always align with established air laws and safety procedures.

He also questioned reports indicating that all three crew members on board the aircraft were pilots, asking whether cabin crew were present and if not, how passenger evacuation would have been handled in the event of an emergency.

The expert further noted that determining the identities and number of passengers on board should not be difficult if proper documentation and passenger manifests were maintained in accordance with standard aviation procedures.

While calling for patience pending the outcome of the investigation, Badamasi maintained that many questions surrounding the incident remained unanswered and urged the relevant authorities to provide greater clarity to the public.

He expressed concern that the incident had attracted a huge attention and could negatively impact public perception of the aviation industry in the country if the facts were not promptly established.

Badamasi also called for the timely release of a preliminary investigation report, noting that all crew members survived the incident and should be available to assist investigators in establishing what transpired.

He said a comprehensive and transparent investigation was essential to determining the causes of the occurrence and restoring public confidence in the country’s aviation sector.