NSIB begins probe into aircraft door separation involving Challenger 604

Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says the Bureau has commenced an investigation into an occurrence involving a Challenger 604 aircraft, registration T7-SEI, operated by Triton.

In an official statement issued Friday, signed by the Director General / Chief Executive Officer of NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., the bureau stated that the aircraft departed Abuja for Lagos on Thursday, 15 October 2026, at 1612 UTC.

The statement added that, at 3 nautical miles, passing 3,500 feet, the crew declared a mayday after the aircraft’s door separated.

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According to NSIB, the aircraft returned to Abuja and landed safely on Runway 22 at 1634 UTC, with nine persons on board, comprising three crew members and six passengers.

“The door has been recovered and secured at the NSIB wreckage hangar. The Bureau has commenced its investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the occurrence”.

“NSIB will provide further updates as the investigation progresses”, NSIB informed.

NSIB is an independent agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria, legally mandated to investigate transportation accidents and serious incidents.

Their objective is not to apportion blame or liability, but to determine the circumstances and causes behind transportation accidents, with the sole purpose of making robust safety recommendations that prevent a recurrence.

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) is an independent agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria, legally mandated to investigate transportation accidents and serious incidents.

Under a recent new arrangement, the NSIB has been structured to report directly to the Presidency through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), ending its previous supervisory alignment with the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.

Before NSIB confirmed the incident, a video shared online indicated that the missing door was found by some farmers in the bush.

A male voice whose identity could not be confirmed at the time of filing this report said the farmers found the aircraft door on their farm.