A private jet operated by Triton Aviation on Thursday made an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after losing a door shortly after take-off.

The CL60 aircraft, registered as T7-SEI with flight identification DWC052, was reportedly en route to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, when the incident occurred.

An incident report obtained by our correspondent indicated that the crew declared an emergency after informing air traffic controllers that a door had opened mid-flight.

The report stated that the aircraft departed Runway 22 at 4:17 pm UTC and was about three nautical miles from the airport, climbing through 3,000 feet, when the crew issued a distress call.

“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday,” the crew reportedly transmitted, prompting the approach radar controller to direct the aircraft back to Abuja for an emergency landing.

Following the distress call, airport fire and rescue personnel, emergency responders and medical teams were alerted and placed on standby. Fire and rescue teams were also positioned at designated locations to prepare for the aircraft’s return.

At about 4:29 pm UTC, while in communication with the Abuja control tower, the crew reportedly asked air traffic controllers to confirm whether the door was open.

According to the report, the duty air traffic controller attempted to observe the aircraft with binoculars but could not establish the condition of the door because of the aircraft’s position.

The controller subsequently informed the crew that the situation could not be confirmed visually.

The aircraft eventually landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 4:34 pm UTC, about 14 minutes after the distress call.

Following the landing, the duty controller observed that the aircraft’s door was missing from the fuselage.

The jet was subsequently guided by a marshaller to the international apron extension, where it was parked.

Meanwhile, in a video seen online the missing door, was reportedly recovered by farmers from a farmland in the Abuja area.

In the video, a man whose identity was not established said the farmers discovered the door while returning from their farm.

“This is what we found as we were returning from our farm. It fell from a plane, but we don’t know much about its identity. As I am sending it to you, sir, just check it,” he said.

The number of passengers aboard the aircraft was not immediately confirmed as of the time of filing this report.

The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, confirmed the incident but declined to comment further, stating that the matter fell within the jurisdiction of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.

Although the NSIB had yet to issue an official statement, a reliable source within the agency confirmed the seriousness of the incident.

The source disclosed that the bureau’s management had deployed investigators to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident and would release an official statement in due course.

Triton Aviation, the aircraft’s operator, could not be reached for comment as of the time of filing this report.