The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has indicted an Air Peace pilot and co-pilot for testing positive for hard drugs and alcohol after their aircraft was involved in a runway incursion at the Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.
The revelation was contained in a preliminary report signed by the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance at the NSIB, Mrs. Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, and made available to The PUNCH on Friday.
It will be recalled that on Sunday, July 13, an Air Peace aircraft veered off the runway after landing at the Port Harcourt International Airport. The incident, however, caused no damage.
A runway incursion is the wrongful or unauthorised positioning of an aircraft on a runway. Such occurrences are often caused by miscommunication, mistakes, faulty gear, or poor runway conditions. With the latest discovery, pilot intoxication has now been added to the list of causes.
According to the NSIB report, the Air Peace Boeing 737 involved in the incident was carrying 103 passengers on a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt.
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.”
Investigators revealed that the aircraft landed well beyond the recommended touchdown zone, raising immediate safety concerns.
The preliminary report further disclosed that toxicological tests conducted on the crew returned positive results. One crew member was found to have alcohol in his system, while another tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active compound in cannabis, commonly known as Indian hemp.
The bureau explained that the results were being evaluated under human performance and safety management — two critical areas in aviation safety investigations.
Following the findings, the NSIB said it had issued immediate safety recommendations to Air Peace.
The statement added: “Initial toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew revealed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption. A cabin crew member also tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis. These results are being reviewed under the human performance and safety management components of the investigation.
“The NSIB has issued immediate safety recommendations for Air Peace Limited to strengthen crew resource management training, particularly in handling unstabilised approaches and go-around decisions, and to reinforce internal procedures for crew fitness-for-duty monitoring before flight dispatch.
“Toxicological tests were conducted on the flight crew at Rivers State Hospital Management Department of Medical Laboratory, Port Harcourt, on July 13, 2025, and they tested positive for some substances. Toxicological screening conducted post-incident revealed that the Captain and First Officer tested positive for Ethyl Glucuronide, indicating recent alcohol consumption.”
