The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has charged a pilot and a co-pilot with using alcohol and hard narcotics.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau’s Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, signed a preliminary report on Friday that revealed this information.
The crew was confirmed positive for the narcotics by NSIB investigators after an Air Peace aircraft they were flying was involved in a runway incursion at Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.
On Sunday, June 13th, after landing at Port Harcourt International Airport, an Air Peace aircraft had a runway excursion. Damage-free, the plane strayed off the runway.
According to the NSIB findings, 103 passengers were on board an Air Peace Boeing 737 when the pilots were involved in a significant incident.
According to the NSIB, “After an unstable final approach, the aircraft, carrying 103 passengers on a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt, landed long on Runway 21.” After landing 2,264 meters from the runway threshold, the plane finally stopped 209 meters into the clearway.
“No injuries were reported, and all crew members and passengers disembarked safely.”
Before landing far down Runway 21, the domestic airplane, which had taken off from Lagos, had an unstable final approach.
The aircraft landed 2,264 meters from the runway threshold, much beyond the advised touchdown zone, according to the NSIB, and finally stopped 209 meters into the clearway.
Although everyone on board disembarked without issue, the incident immediately sparked safety concerns.
The PUNCH was able to receive preliminary data that indicate the flight crew’s toxicological test results were positive. Another crew member tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in cannabis, often known as “India hemp.” The tests also revealed that the crew member had alcohol in their system.
The bureau stated that these toxicology data are being evaluated in the context of safety management and human performance, two important aspects of aviation mishap investigations.
In response to the incident, the NSIB stated that it had given the airline prompt safety advice.
“The flight crew’s initial toxicological tests showed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption,” the statement adds. Additionally, a member of the cabin crew tested positive for THC, the psychoactive aspect of cannabis. The investigation’s human performance and safety management components are reviewing these findings.
“Air Peace Limited is immediately being advised by the NSIB to improve crew resource management training, specifically in handling unstable approaches and go-around decisions, and to strengthen internal protocols for crew fitness-for-duty monitoring prior to flight dispatch.”
The flight crew had a toxicological test on July 13, 2025, at the Rivers State Hospital Management, Department of Medical Laboratory, Port Harcourt, and they tested positive for a few drugs. The captain and first officer tested positive for ethyl glucuronide during toxicological tests after the event, indicating recent alcohol use.
