Incident Overview
On 7 May 2023, a Boeing 737-400 aircraft with registration 5N-MBD, operated by Max Air Limited, was involved in a serious incident at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria. The aircraft was conducting a scheduled passenger operation from Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, encompassing six sectors that day. The first three sectors—Kano-Lagos, Lagos-Abuja, and Abuja-Yola—were uneventful. The incident occurred during the fourth sector, a flight from Yola to Abuja.
Flight Sequence
The flight departed Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 12:10 h as NGL1648 for Yola, arriving at 13:25 h. During a post-flight inspection in Yola, the pilot reported no abnormalities. At 14:05 h, the aircraft departed Yola from Runway 17 as NGL1649 for Abuja, with 150 persons on board, including six crew, and fuel endurance of 3 hours 30 minutes under Instrument Flight Rules. The pilot served as Pilot Monitoring, and the co-pilot as Pilot Flying.
Three minutes after takeoff, a Nigerian Air Force personnel reported to Yola Control Tower that an object resembling a tire had fallen from the departing aircraft. The Duty Air Traffic Control Officer promptly informed the pilot, as well as Kano Area Control and Abuja Tower. Cabin crew reported that a passenger at seat row 24 had informed them about seeing a wheel fall off, and the pilot acknowledged this information.
Landing and Aftermath
At 14:52 h, the flight contacted Abuja Tower and was cleared to continue the approach, instructed to report at 4 miles. At 14:53 h, Tower cleared the aircraft to land with surface wind calm and runway 22. The pilot described the landing as normal, but during deceleration, he noticed the port wing was dropping lower than usual. He applied full aileron control to keep the wing from dropping until lift decayed, and used thrust reverser and minimal braking to stop the aircraft on the runway.
At 14:57 h, Abuja ATC informed the flight that smoke was observed around the aircraft and fire services were alerted. The aircraft came to a stop between Link A5 and A6, approximately 2900 m from the threshold of runway 22. No injuries were reported among passengers or crew. The incident occurred in daylight Visual Meteorological Conditions.
Investigation Status
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) is conducting the investigation. The final report has been completed and is now awaiting review. This interim statement was issued on the third anniversary of the serious incident, in accordance with Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation and relevant Nigerian regulations. The investigation aims to prevent future occurrences and does not apportion blame or liability.