The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has indicted the pilot and co-pilot of an Air Peace Boeing 737 after toxicology tests revealed the presence of alcohol and hard drugs in their systems following a runway excursion at Port Harcourt International Airport.
The incident occurred on July 13, 2025, when the aircraft, carrying 103 passengers, veered off Runway 21 after an unstabilised final approach and landed far beyond the recommended touchdown zone.
According to the NSIB’s preliminary report, the aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and eventually came to a halt 209 metres into the clearway. Although all passengers and crew disembarked safely without injuries or damage to the plane, the findings raised major safety concerns.
Toxicological screenings conducted at the Rivers State Hospital Laboratory in Port Harcourt confirmed recent alcohol consumption by both the captain and first officer, while a cabin crew member tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in cannabis.
The NSIB stressed that these results are being reviewed under the human performance and safety management framework of the investigation and issued immediate safety recommendations to Air Peace.
These include strengthening crew resource management training, improving protocols for handling unstabilised approaches, reinforcing go-around decision-making, and enforcing stricter pre-flight fitness-for-duty monitoring.
