Investigation into Cabin Smoke Incident in Flight NG316 Ongoing, Says Aero

Chinedu Eze

Aero Contractors has dismissed reports on the smoke incident that took place in the cabin of its Lagos bound flight from Port Harcourt last Tuesday, saying it is still investigating the cause of the smoke.

There are different accounts of the incident by the airline as Aero management delayed to make a statement and explain what caused the smoke.

Passengers in the aircraft were petrified by the incident, as some said they thought they would die.

The flight was operated by Bombardier Q300 Dash 8 aircraft.

The management source also said the aircraft was checked when it arrived safely in Lagos but there was no technical problem with the airplane.

Aero said in a statement, “Unlike the stories being spread on the social media, the management of Aero has explained that flight NG316, which departed Port Harcourt airport on April 18, 2017 at 1608GMT, enroute Lagos, with 52 adults +1 infant on board. They also commended the pilot and the entire crew for the professionalism they displayed in handling the situation.

“There have been different accounts of the incidents with some claiming that the smoke came from the baggage compartment while others alluded to all manner of unverified claims. But the management of Aero said it regrets any inconveniences the incident might have caused its esteemed passengers and assured it will get to the root cause of the matter.

“Although the management led by Capt. Ado Sanusi, Chief Executive Officer of Aero,  has ordered for full scale investigation into the incident, preliminary reports has it that at 16:45 GMT (4:45p.m.) about 75NM (distance) to Lagos at 24,00ft, the cabin crew observed that the cabin was misty. This was reported to the captain, who briefed the passengers accordingly, assuring them of a safe landing in Lagos in a couple of minutes.”

The statement said expectedly as announced by the pilot,  that normal descent was initiated into Lagos, but while descending,  however, a passenger went into the lavatory, after which the lavatory smoke detector alarm came on; however, the cabin crew again reported this incident to the captain and by this time the smoke was getting denser in the cabin.

“Ready and armed with ‘Aft Cargo Smoke’ indication in the flight deck, the crew carried out the smoke dispersal procedures and contacted air traffic control at 16:55GMT (4:55p.m.), requesting for emergency support services and proceeded to Lagos, which is the airport with the full complement of emergency support. At this stage again, the cabin crew reassured the passengers and handed out wet towels to them as a precautionary measure for such incidents,” the statement said.

The airline account noted that the captain also announced to the passengers to be calm as the smoke in question did not present any irritation or discomfort.

“The aircraft landed at 17:03 GMT (5:03p.m.) without any incident. Although the company engineers had carried out the routine systems checks, and reported all normal, Capt. Sanusi who has also reported the incident to the appropriate authorities in the country, said another round of thorough investigation was ongoing,” Aero also said.

However, THISDAY gathered that the airline suspected that Samsung Galaxy S7 phone in the cargo hold might be responsible for the smoke, just as it continues to investigate the cause of the smoke incident.