Air Peace crew tested positive for alcohol, drug — NSIB report

Air Peace plane

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau 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 signed by the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance at Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, Mrs Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, made available to The PUNCH on Friday.

It will be recalled 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.

The NSIB said, “The aircraft, operating as a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt with 103 persons on board, landed long on Runway 21 after an unstabilised final approach. The aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and came to a final stop 209 metres into the clearway.

“All passengers and crew disembarked safely, and no injuries were reported.” Punch