NSIB Confirms Nine Onboard As Private Jet Door Blows Out Mid-Flight, Owner Revealed

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has confirmed that nine persons were on board a private jet that lost its door mid-flight shortly after departing Abuja for Lagos.

The aircraft, a Challenger 604 with registration number T7-SEI, was operated by Triton Aviation and is owned by Nigerian billionaire businessman Kola Karim, chairman of Shoreline Natural Resources Limited.

The jet departed Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 16:12 UTC on Thursday, October 15, 2026. About three nautical miles from the airport while climbing through 3,500 feet, the crew declared a Mayday after the main cabin door separated from the fuselage.

The aircraft returned to Abuja and landed safely on Runway 22 at 16:34 UTC. The nine persons on board comprised three crew members and six passengers. No injuries were reported.

The NSIB Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., confirmed the development in a statement issued on Friday.

“The door has been recovered and secured at the NSIB wreckage hangar,” Badeh said. “The Bureau has commenced its investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the occurrence. NSIB will provide further updates as the investigation progresses.”

The missing door was reportedly found by farmers on a farm near Abuja where it fell. A video circulating on social media showed the detached door at the location.

Aviation experts who spoke to reporters said the incident points to a maintenance issue rather than a design flaw in the Challenger 604, a widely used business jet. The aircraft was built in 2002, making it 24 years old.

The incident has raised fresh concerns about aviation safety and the maintenance of private charter aircraft in Nigeria. Most private jets based in the country are registered abroad, leaving them largely outside the direct day-to-day supervision of Nigeria’s regulator.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the incident and referred questions to the NSIB, which leads investigations into serious incidents and accidents in Nigerian airspace. Neither agency has said which door separated or what caused it to come off.