Passengers disembark safely as Air Peace aircraft tyre bursts at Ilorin Airport

Sixty-six passengers and six crew onboard an Air Peace aircraft from Abuja were said to have “disembarked safely” when one of the plane’s tyres blew off after landing at the Ilorin Airport in Kwara State.

Following crash-landing by the B737-500 aircraft with registration number 5N-BQR in the fleet of Air Peace, the runway of the Ilorin International Airport has been closed to traffic.

Many passengers, including some highly-placed Nigerians were successfully evacuated from the runway.

Recall, Air Peace began operation from Ilorin Airport on June 16.

According to investigation, the aircraft crashed around 9.30am on Friday morning upon landing in Ilorin from Abuja.

The plane had tyre burst and a bang which affected the cabin with luggage falling on passengers.

It was gathered with the impact of the crash, the plane could not taxi to the tarmac.

It was learnt that the process of moving the plane from the runway was slow because, according to a source, “it is a bigger aircraft and we have no equipment.

“We are in the process of removing the aircraft. We have been on it for 24 hours,” the source added.

Spokesperson for Air Peace, Stanley Olise, however,  has confirmed to newsmen in a telephone chat that “as we speak, the tyre has been fixed and the aircraft has been moved from the runway.”

“Our officials reported the incident to the authorities as statutorily required,” Olise added.

But the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and other agencies are yet to comment on the incident.