By a stroke of luck, what could have been a national tragedy was averted on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 when a private jet owned by billionaire businessman, Chief Adedeji Adeleke, caught fire at take-off point at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
Chief Adeleke is the father of Afrobeat musician, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido. He is also the brother of Osun State governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke.
However, the incident wasn’t formally communicated to the concerned Aviation regulatory authorities, a development that is against standard protocol.
Reports indicated that the jet, with Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, on board and his top aides at the time of the incident, had taxied to the end of the runway, shortly before departure, when a loud explosion was heard from the engine of the jet, causing it to abort take-off immediately.
“No deaths or injuries were reported, and other passengers in the plane as of the time of the incident could not be ascertained,” a source privy to the development told our correspondent.
We gathered that the jet had been parked at the Executive Jet hanger of the Airport before it was deployed on September 5.
However, all parties including the Airport authorities, the Osun State government and the owners of the private hanger have been desperate to ensure that the news of the incident doesn’t get to the public domain.
Even though one of the passengers on the plane, who did not want to be named, confided in our correspondent that foul play was being suspected from the hangar operators as both engines of the aircraft were damaged.
However, the chief executive officer (CEO), Executive Jets, owners of the hangar where the private jet was parked, Sam Iwuajoku, disclosed that the Chief Adeleke’s private jet had Foreign Object Damage (FOD) that made the aircraft experienced high temperature, which resulted into the explosion.
According to him, the FOD was caused by a bird nest in one of the engines of the jet.
“At take-off, the engine had high temperature and it was caused by bird nest in one of the engines of the aircraft. It happened when an aircraft is parked and not properly covered so, birds will build their nest and anything they bring into the aircraft can spark high temperature.
“It happened to one of my aircraft in 2021, we had to remove the engine and the engine was in Germany for 14 months. So, it’s a common thing in Africa because we have birds around,” he stated.
But, credible sources told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the internationally renowned musician, Davido, had used the plane the previous day, September 4, putting a lie to Iwuajoku of Executive Jets’ account of the incident.
Meanwhile, efforts to get confirmation from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) proved abortive as calls and text messages placed to its director-general, Capt. Musa Nuhu, were not replied as at the time of filing this report on Saturday.
However, a reliable source confided in our correspondent that the incident wasn’t reported to the NCAA as the Air Worthiness Department of the Authority wasn’t aware of the incident.
The source, who craved anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to speak on the matter, said: “NCAA isn’t aware of this incident because the Air Worthiness Department is not aware.”
However contrary to report that the engine explode after taxing, Rasheed disclosed that a laud noise was heard just after taxing on the tarmac.
He also described excuse given by owners of the hanger that a bird nest within the engine led to the fault, saying there are strong reasons to believe that the two engines in the aircraft were tampered with.
According to him, the highly technically equipped aircraft was well maintained with the best technical crew and was never an unused platform where birds could build nests.
“Contrary to the claim by the hanger owner that birds’ nests caused the incident, birds’ nests are made with straws not bidding wires as in this case.
“The near fatal incident was averted shortly after boarding and less than two minutes after commencement of taxing on the tarmac.
“An early warning noise from the engines immediately prompted the pilots to direct evacuation of the passengers. Everything happened within five minutes.
“Early reports from internal investigation indicated sabotage. But the authorities, locally and internationally, are still investigating the incident.
“We however want to assure the public that Governor Adeleke and his aides are safe and there was no injury or any outward explosion on the plane.
