A Triton Aviation jet made an emergency return to Abuja on Thursday after a door reportedly came off while the aircraft was in the air. The crew issued a Mayday call, prompting airport emergency teams to prepare for its arrival.
The aircraft landed safely, but the incident has triggered an investigation by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
The CL60 business jet, registered as T7-SEI, was travelling from Abuja to Lagos when the incident happened on October 15, 2026.
According to an incident report cited by The Guardian, the aircraft departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 4:17 p.m. UTC. It had climbed to approximately 3,000 feet and travelled about three nautical miles when the crew reported the problem.
Aircraft Loses Door Shortly After Take-Off
The crew sent out a Mayday distress call after reporting that a door had opened during the flight.
Air traffic control instructed the pilots to turn back to Abuja. Airport officials also alerted fire and medical teams and asked emergency personnel to stand by at designated locations.
As the aircraft approached the airport, the crew sought confirmation from the control tower about the door’s condition.
The controller tried to examine the aircraft with binoculars but could not determine whether the door remained open because of the aircraft’s position.
Jet Returns Safely to Abuja Airport
The aircraft touched down on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 p.m. UTC. This was around 14 minutes after the crew declared the emergency.
After landing, the controller noticed that a door was missing from the aircraft’s body. The jet later moved to the international apron extension and parked with the help of a marshaller.
Authorities had not confirmed how many people were aboard the aircraft when the incident occurred. The circumstances that led to the door coming off also remained unclear.
Missing Door Reportedly Found on Farmland
The incident took another turn after farmers reportedly discovered the missing door in a bush area in Abuja.
A video obtained by The Guardian showed the item that the farmers said they found while returning from their farm.
In the footage, a man explained that they believed the object had fallen from an aircraft. However, they did not know its identity or the details of the flight involved.
The discovery could provide investigators with material evidence as they work to establish what happened.
NSIB Deploys Investigators
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that the incident occurred. However, its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, said the matter fell under the NSIB’s responsibility.
The NSIB also acknowledged the incident and said it had deployed investigators to examine the circumstances.
The bureau’s media team told The Guardian that management would release an official statement in due course.
Triton Aviation, the company operating the aircraft, had not provided a comment at the time of publication.
Investigators are expected to establish why the door came off and determine the circumstances surrounding the emergency landing.