Arik Air near crash: Passengers demand probe

Passengers on board Arik Air flight W3 533, from Abuja to Uyo on June 21, 2013 are seeking a probe into the incident that led to the airplane zooming off, after it had reached between 50 to 100 metres from the tarmac.

Blaming the situation on the absence of communication between the aircraft and the control tower in Uyo, the passengers said except a thorough investigative panel is set up by the Federal Government to look into the issue, a repeat of the situation is likely.

One of the passengers, Mr. Uduak Etuk, who spoke with journalists in Uyo on Wednesday on the incident, said it was horrible for them to see the plane, which landing gear had come down, to zoom off again. He stated that it was then they realised that the traffic light in Ibom Airport had gone off.

“Unless an investigation panel is set up to probe the immediate and remote cause of the incident, the situation may reoccur, which will definitely lead to national tragedy.

“We want justice to be done. We want the Federal Government to hear this and look into the matter, and investigate what really happened,” he said.