The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has released a preliminary report into the runway excursion involving an Enugu Air Embraer ERJ 170-100LR at Oba Akenzua II Airport, Benin, identifying multiple safety deficiencies at the airport and issuing four immediate safety recommendations to the agencies responsible for oversight of Nigeria's runway and airspace infrastructure.
The aircraft, registration 5N-ENR, was operating scheduled passenger flight ENU4264 from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, to Benin on 23 July 2026 when it landed on Runway 05 and overran the runway end, continuing into an unpaved area beyond the paved surface. There were 63 passengers and five crew members on board; all were accounted for and no injuries were reported. The aircraft struck approach-lighting installations and two fixed concrete structures associated with a decommissioned localizer, and the impact caused its landing-gear assemblies to break away.
Runway-End and Visibility Concerns
The bureau said the preliminary findings, drawn from witness statements, flight recorder data, air traffic control communications, and an initial inspection of the aircraft, pointed to concerns about the condition of the runway-end environment at Benin, the control tower's line of sight over that section of the runway, and the availability of timely meteorological information to crews on approach. NSIB said each of these factors would be examined further as the full investigation continues.
Based on those preliminary findings, the bureau issued four immediate safety recommendations — numbered A-2026-039 through A-2026-042 — addressed to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, covering improvements to the runway-end environment, tower sightlines, and weather-data provision at the airport.
Second Runway Excursion in a Year
The Benin incident marked the second runway excursion involving a Nigerian commercial passenger aircraft in roughly a year, following an Air Peace Boeing 737 that skidded off the runway at Port Harcourt International Airport in July 2025. Both incidents resulted in no injuries or fatalities, though industry observers have pointed to the pattern as a reason for closer scrutiny of runway conditions and approach procedures at some of Nigeria's regional airports.
NSIB said its Go-Team was mobilised to the site within minutes of notification following the July incident, and that the final report — expected to include a fuller causal analysis and any additional recommendations — would be published once the investigation concludes.
