The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has described the incident that happened at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja between ValueJet and Fuji maestro, Kwam 1 as a breackh of safety protocol by two pilots.
FAAN reveals that the two ValueJet pilots attempted to depart without concluding the pre-departure protocols.
According to reports, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had on Tuesday announced the suspension of two pilots working with a domestic carrier, ValueJet
NCAA’s Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, in a statement issued late Tuesday, confirmed the development, saying the NCAA was notified of the violation by the pilots.
A 23-second video posted on the X page (formerly Twitter) of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) showed that the aircraft involved was a CRJ-900ER with registration 5N-BXS.
The aircraft was seen taxiing from its bay with some ground staff maintaining close proximity to the plane indicating that it is not yet cleared to depart. Some of them were seen running away from the aircraft as the pilots taxied with speed from the apron.
Also the airline had issued a statement confirming the crew’s mistake and said the two pilots had been withdrawn from its service.
But the airport operator in a statement explaining the incident said it involved a notable Nigerian musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (also known as K1 De Ultimate), and a pilot of ValueJet Airlines.
According to FAAN, preliminary investigations confirmed that the passenger was scheduled to board the morning flight to Lagos operated by ValueJet Airlines (Flight VK 201).
During boarding, the passenger attempted to carry an unidentified liquid substance on board despite repeated warnings from Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel and the Flight Captain, FAAN explained.