What happened
On 23 July 2019, an Air Peace Limited Boeing 737-300, registered as 5N-BQO, was operating an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight from Port Harcourt to Lagos. The aircraft was carrying 133 passengers and six crew members.
During the approach to Runway 18R at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, the control tower advised the crew to exercise caution due to a wet runway surface and light winds. As the aircraft neared the ground, the captain noted that the plane was not properly aligned with the runway centerline. The captain took manual control to attempt a correction. During the landing sequence, the crew reported that the right wheel touched down at the same time as the nose gear, resulting in a loss of visibility. This impact caused the nose gear to collapse and break off from the aircraft.
Following the landing, the crew requested assistance from a tow truck and ground equipment to facilitate the evacuation of the passengers. All passengers disembarked via mobile stairs without any reported injuries.
The investigation
The NSIB has examined the sequence of events leading to the gear failure, noting that the incident occurred during daylight hours under rainy conditions. The investigation has incorporated the manufacturer's analysis of the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) raw data to assist in the ongoing technical review of the landing parameters.