By Onilede Titi Faith
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), has indicted an Air Peace pilot and co-pilot after toxicology tests confirmed the presence of alcohol and hard drugs in their systems, following a runway excursion at Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.
In a preliminary report signed by its Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs. Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, and made available on Friday, the Bureau revealed that the flight from Lagos landed long and unstabilised, touching down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold well beyond the safe zone before stopping 209 metres into the clearway.
All passengers and crew disembarked safely, with no injuries or aircraft damage reported.
Tests conducted at the Rivers State Hospital Management’s Department of Medical Laboratory confirmed ethyl glucuronide, a biomarker of recent alcohol consumption, in both the Captain and First Officer.
A cabin crew member also tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in cannabis.
The Bureau said the intoxication of key crew members posed severe safety risks, noting that such lapses contribute to runway incursions often linked to human error, miscommunication, or technical failures.
As part of immediate safety recommendations, the NSIB directed Air Peace to strengthen crew resource management training, enforce stricter go-around decision protocols, and reinforce fitness-for-duty monitoring procedures before flight dispatch.
The Bureau added that the toxicology results are being reviewed under human performance and safety management as part of its ongoing investigation.
