There was an eventual sigh of relief at the Lagos Murtala Mohammed International Airport on Thursday as over 245 people on board a United Airlines flight escaped death and returned to the city of take-off.
The B787-8 Dreamliner struggled with challenges after it had departed Lagos on it’s way to Dules Airport Washington DC, USA when way into the flight crisis occurred.
The piloting crew had to declare an emergency squawking transponder code 7700 mid-air and safely returned to Lagos a few hours after take-off.
The United’s Flight UA613 Dreamliner airplane had 245 passengers onboard. The nature of the emergency is yet unknown.
The 12.1-year-old wide-body aircraft belonging to the US carrier registered N27903 was carrying 245 passengers had a technical problem over Cote d, Ivoire airspace at cruising flight level 350. Injuries sustained by the passengers and crew were minor; an indication of the danger the aircraft escaped.
The aircraft landed in Lagos at about 02.20 (UTC). There are indications that the aircraft lost altitude and dropped speedily making passengers panic and scream with some of them hitting their heads on hard surfaces as a result of the impact.
Amid the confusion, the pilot announced a return to Nigeria.
The airline which confirmed the incident stated “Flight UA613 from Lagos to Washington D.C. returned to Lagos to address a technical issue. After landing safely, the aircraft was met by first responders to address reports of minor injuries to several passengers and crew.”
