A passenger plane flew with an engine shredded and charred by a midair explosion before it made an emergency landing in Benin, after an incident on an Arik Air Boeing 737 flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt in Nigeria on Wednesday.
Passengers filmed the view of the aircraft’s left engine destroyed during the cross-country flight. Some of the 80 passengers could be heard screaming as the plane instead made an emergency landing in neighbouring Benin, landing safely on one engine, New York Post reported.
Boeing's alleged fan blade failure tore cowling apart, debris slamming fuselage & tail, as per the footage.
Those on board recalled a loud bang from the left side of the plane while descending, according to the airline and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Board. The board said the cause remained under investigation, AirDataNews reported.
There were no injuries, but the aircraft experienced significant damage, the board said.
“A preliminary assessment team is en route to Benin to secure the aircraft, document evidence, interview relevant personnel and witnesses, and recover flight data and cockpit voice recorder information,” the agency said in a statement, according to Jam Press.
An Arik Air spokesperson said the airline “sincerely apologizes to the affected … passengers whose journey has been disrupted.”
