Many escape death as Dana plane runs into bush in Port Harcourt

An aircraft belonging to Dana Air on Tuesday overshot the runway of the Port Harcourt airport in Rivers State, after it touched down.

It was gathered that the aircraft, with number 9J0363, flew into Port Harcourt after taking passengers from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

An aircraft is said to have overshot the runway when it moves past a specified point unintentionally, and this can be as a result of too much speed or that the plane is unable to stop.

But in this case, it was learnt that the incident, which recorded no casualty, was suspected to have been due to downpour in Port Harcourt.

The General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Henrietta Yakubu, confirmed the incident.

She said, “A Dana aircraft numbered 9J0363, flying from Abuja to the Port Harcourt airport, has overshot the Port Harcourt runway.

“The incident was suspected to have been caused by heavy rainfall, which was accompanied by strong wind and storm in Port Harcourt.

“No casualty was recorded, as all passengers on board were safely evacuated.”

Since its last crash on 3 June 2012 in Ishaga, Lagos, Dana Airlines has always been under a radar of suspicion by Nigeria’s air passengers. The crash then killed all the 159 passengers on board, including some people on the ground, where the plane crashed.