Investigation opens as Allied 737 freighter damaged in Nigerian runway excursion

Nigerian investigators have opened an inquiry after a Boeing 737-400 freighter suffered a runway excursion while landing at Abuja. The twinjet – operated by Allied Air – had been arriving from Lagos at around 10:06 on 11 December. It skidded off the right-hand side of runway 22 and came to rest in a grass verge. None of the crew members on board the jet was injured, says the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau. It identifies the airframe as 5N-JRT, a 31-year old jet originally operated by Air Berlin and subsequently by carriers including Ukraine International Airlines. The aircraft was fitted with CFM International CFM56 engines. Meteorological data from Abuja at the time of the occurrence indicates good visibility and no adverse weather, with a slight crosswind from the left.<br/>