Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has finally narrated how he narrowly escape death through the Ethiopian Airline flight that almost crashed on Wednesday at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The Boeing 777-300, which belong to the famous Ethiopian Airline had more than 390 people on board, only managed to land on the third attempt in th midst of strong wind and heavy downpour.
The two-time president who was returning from a strategical meeting over the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA) which was brought to conclusion on Tuesday in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia.
He stated that “I was on Ethiopian Airline: rain just came down heavily”, Obasanjo told Premium Times.
“The pilot thought he could land and he landed. He touched down, but I think he took a swift decision that he had to take off again.
“So he took off. If he did not, I think he probably would have overrun the runway. He then apologised and said he would try to land again. He tried again, and we landed safely. And we all clapped.
“He touched the ground. Then he took off and apologised and landed again at about 12.30. We spent just about 10 minutes in the air before we landed again.
“While it all happened, I was reading my papers. One man, who was next to me, said, ‘Oga you no worry?’
“I said ‘if I worry, what will I do? If you are on a plane and you have a situation like this, why should you worry?’ I left everything in the hands of God.”
According to the reliable media platform, the News Agency of Nigeria,NAN some other eminent personalities in the country were also in the ill fated Ethiopian airline and they include the Director General of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni, Prof Samson Tunde Adebayo, the Director of Ports Inspection, National Agency For Food And Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC) alongside other Nigerians and foreign nationals.
The aircraft numbered ET-901 took off from the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa round 7 a.m Nigerian time and 9:10 a.m., Ethiopian time.
According to a NAN correspondent who was also a passenger of the ill fated air craft the 5-hour flight from Adis baba was hitch free until the pilot attempted to land at the Murtala Mohammed International airport.
Instead of landing on the first touch line of the airport runaway, the pilot over short it because of the strong wind and heavy downpour and landed on the third touch-line.
According to NAN immediately the experience pilot realised this, he took the plane off back in the air and flew out of the Muritala Muhmmmed International Airport airport immediately.
The plane after hovering between Lagos and areas believed to be in Ogun, causing a lot of panic among the passengers and crew members on board, the aircraft finally landed 20 minutes after the first false landing.
The atmosphere among passengers after the plane landed was typical to a Nigerian worship centre as many passengers were singing worship songs and clapping while some of them fell to their knees in prayers.
SOURCE : DAILYPOST
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