Triton Plane's Door Loss Prompts NSIB Safety Probe

A Triton Aviation aircraft lost a door shortly after taking off from Abuja on Thursday, made an emergency landing and triggered an investigation by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB). Farmers reportedly found the missing part on nearby farmland. Officials couldn't establish how many passengers were aboard, and Triton Aviation couldn't be reached for comment.

The CL60, registration T7-SEI and flight identification DWC052, was flying from Abuja to Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) in Lagos. At about 4:20 p.m. local time, as it climbed through 3,000 feet and reached a point about three nautical miles from the airport, the crew sent a distress call: "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday." An incident report said the aircraft took off from Runway 22 at 4:17 p.m. UTC.

The Emergency Landing

The crew told air traffic control that a door had opened in flight. An approach radar controller directed the aircraft back to Abuja, and officials alerted airport fire-watch and medical teams and put them on standby. Fire and emergency personnel moved to positions A4 and A5.

At about 4:29 p.m. UTC, the crew asked the Abuja control tower whether controllers could see that the door was open. A duty air traffic controller tried to inspect the aircraft through binoculars but couldn't determine the door's condition because of its position. The controller told the crew they couldn't visually confirm it.

The aircraft landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 p.m. UTC, about 14 minutes after the Mayday call. After it landed, the duty controller saw that the door was missing from the fuselage. The report said the aircraft taxied to the international apron extension and parked with help from a marshaller.

A video showed farmers holding what they said was the missing door, reportedly found on their farmland in Abuja. A man whose identity couldn't be independently established said: "This is what we found as we were returning from our farm. It fell from a plane, but we don't know much about its identity. As I am sending it to you, sir, just check it."

Investigation and Corporate Finance

Michael Achimugu, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), confirmed the incident. He said the agency couldn't comment because the matter fell under the NSIB's purview. The NSIB also confirmed the incident. Its media team said bureau management had sent investigators to the scene and would issue an official statement.

The same report detailed United Nigeria Airlines' (UNA) plan to raise N20 billion through a commercial paper issuance, the first tranche under its N100 billion programme. The airline said the funds would strengthen its finances and support the expansion of domestic, regional and international operations. Its September 2026 investor presentation outlined two series, with tenors of 270 days and 364 days.

UNA's revenue climbed from N10.3 billion in 2021 to N90.8 billion in 2025, while profit after tax rose from N1.3 billion to N23.8 billion. Revenue reached N95.6 billion in the first half of 2026. In August, turnover grew to N19.4 billion from N14.1 billion in July, and the airline returned to a net profit of N1.2 billion. UNA said it expected financial performance to keep rising during the remaining months of 2026 and beyond.

Agusto & Co. assigned UNA short-term and long-term ratings of A3 and BBB-, with a stable outlook, ahead of the planned fundraising. DataPro assigned ratings of A1 and BBB, respectively. The ratings assessed the airline's creditworthiness as it sought capital-market funding for expansion. UNA operated 10 aircraft and planned to take delivery of six more before the end of the year. The report gave no passenger count for the Triton flight, and Triton Aviation offered no comment.