A private jet transporting Liberian President Joseph Boakai crash-landed on Thursday night at Roberts International Airport, Monrovia, shortly after returning from Abuja, Nigeria, where the president had attended the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS.
The incident caused panic among passengers and airport personnel, leading to a temporary suspension of all flight operations at the airport.
According to airport officials, the crash occurred due to a malfunction in the aircraft’s landing gear, which caused a hard landing and burst one of the jet’s tyres upon impact.
“The president and his entourage were safely evacuated, and no injuries were reported,” the source confirmed.
Despite the safe evacuation, the damaged aircraft remained stranded on the runway for several hours, disrupting flight schedules and grounding inbound and outbound operations.
Photos of the jet quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread concern over the president’s safety. The airport management, however, reassured the public that normal flight operations resumed later that night after the jet was removed from the tarmac.
In an official statement, airport authorities emphasized that the runway remains safe and compliant with international aviation standards, and that a full investigation has been launched into the mechanical failure.
“A comprehensive inquiry is ongoing to determine the exact cause of the malfunction,” the statement noted.