An air peace pilot and his co-pilot have been indicted by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau for taking hard drugs and alcohol. The crew was tested by accident investigators after their aircraft was involved in a runway excursion on July 13, 2025.
This was contained in a report by the Director of Public Affairs, Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, on Friday. According to NSIB, the pilots were involved in a serious incident while carrying 103 passengers.
The initial reports say toxicological test results conducted on the flight crew turned out positive. The Tests indicated the presence of alcohol in the first crew, while another crew member also tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
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Speaking on the incident, the bureau noted that the results are being assessed within the scope of human and safety management. Following the development, the bureau said it had issued immediate safety recommendations to the airline.
“The NSIB has issued immediate safety recommendations for Air Peace Limited to strengthen crew resource management training. In particular, handling unstabilised approaches and reinforcing internal procedures for crew fitness-for-duty monitoring before flight dispatch.
The Air Peace Boeing 737 aircraft, with 103 persons on board, landed after an unstabilised final approach. Sources indicate that the aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and stopped 209 metres into the clearway.
Although passengers and crew disembarked safely, with no casualties reported, the incident raised immediate safety concerns for aviation officials and stakeholders.
A runway excursion is when an aircraft veers off or overruns the end of the runway during takeoff or landing. Excursions are most often caused by miscommunication, mistakes, faulty gear, and potholes on runways, among others.
