Flight carrying Borno deputy gov, others makes emergency landing

Passengers aboard a Max Air flight, including the Deputy Governor of Borno State, Usman Kadafur, were in panic mode when one of its twin engine caught fire at the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport (MBIA), Maiduguri.

The pilot had to make an emergency landing 10 minutes into take-off, yesterday.

Confirming the emergency landing in Maiduguri, Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert in the Lake region, stated: “The emergency landing occurred immediately after take-off, carrying over 70 passengers, including Kadafur, from Maiduguri to Abuja.”

He added that preliminary reports revealed that the wing of the aircraft struck a bird, which led to one of the engines to catch fire.

According to him, the pilot swiftly responded, by shutting down one of the engines mid-air.
Besides shutting off the engine, he added that the pilot safely manoeuvred the plane back to the airport.

Makama said all passengers and crew members were unharmed.