Following its investigation into an incident involving an Air Peace Boeing 737-524 aircraft marked 5N-BQQ, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB, has disclosed that the Air Peace flight crew tested positive for alcohol and cannabis, popularly called Igbo in local parlance.
The incident occurred on July 13, 2025, at Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo International Airport, Omagwa, Port Harcourt, Rivers State whereby the aircraft overshot the runway.
But in a response to the NSIB findings, Air Peace admitted that it had grounded the captain of the affected flight and restrained the captain from from further flight duty till date for failure to adhere to Crew Resource Management (CRM) principles.
Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, had stated: “Initial toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew revealed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption. A cabin crew member also tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis.”
According to her, the results were being reviewed under the human performance and safety management components of the investigation.
Oladeji further added that “the aircraft, operating as a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt with 103 persons on board, landed long on Runway 21 after an unstabilised final approach. The aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and came to a final stop 209 metres into the clearway. All passengers and crew disembarked safely, and no injuries were reported. These results are being reviewed under the human performance and safety management components of the investigation.
“The NSIB has issued immediate safety recommendations for Air Peace Limited to strengthen crew resource management (CRM) training, particularly in handling unstabilised approaches and go-around decisions, and to reinforce internal procedures for crew fitness-for-duty monitoring before flight dispatch.
“The full preliminary report, including detailed findings, is available for download on the NSIB website. The report represents early findings and is subject to further analysis. The final report will present detailed conclusions and additional recommendations to enhance aviation safety in Nigeria,” the statement said.
