The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, (NSIB), has indicted an Air Peace pilot and a co-pilot for taking hard drugs and alcohol.
The accident investigators tested the crew positive for the substances after the aircraft they flew was involved in a runway excursion at the Port-Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.
This was contained in a preliminary report issued yesterday, signed by the NSIB Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs. Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji.
Recall that an Air Peace aircraft, on a Sunday morning of 13th July, had a runway excursion after landing at the Port-Harcourt International Airport. The aircraft veered-off the runway without any damage.
A runway excursion is when an aircraft veers off the side of or overruns the end of the runway during takeoff or landing.
Excursions are most often caused by miscommunication, mistakes, faulty gear, and potholes on runways, among others. But with the discovery, pilots’ intoxication has been added to the list of causes.
According to the NSIB report, the pilots who were flying an Air Peace Boeing 737 aircraft were involved in a serious incident while carrying 103 passengers. While all on board disembarked safely, the incident raised immediate safety concerns.
The preliminary reports say toxicological test results conducted on the flight crew turned out positive. The Tests indicated the presence of alcohol in the system of the crew, while another crew member also tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active compound found in cannabis, colloquially referred to as ‘India hemp”.
The Bureau noted that these toxicology results are being assessed within the scope of human performance and safety management, both critical factors in aviation incident investigations.
Following the development, the NSIB said it had issued immediate safety recommendations to the airline.
