Air Peace In Turmoil As NSIB Report Exposes Drug And Alcohol Use By Crew

According to Ireporter Online, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has indicted an Air Peace pilot and co-pilot after toxicological tests confirmed the presence of alcohol and hard drugs in their systems. The findings followed a serious runway incident at the Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025, involving an Air Peace Boeing 737 aircraft carrying 103 passengers.

The NSIB disclosed in its preliminary report, signed by its Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs. Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, that the flight crew landed long on Runway 21 after an unstabilised approach, with the aircraft touching down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and eventually halting 209 metres into the clearway. Although the aircraft veered off the runway, no injuries or damage were reported, and all passengers and crew disembarked safely.

The bureau stated that toxicological screening conducted at the Rivers State Hospital Management Department of Medical Laboratory revealed that both the captain and first officer tested positive for ethyl glucuronide, confirming recent alcohol consumption. In addition, a cabin crew member tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound found in cannabis.

The NSIB emphasised that these results are being reviewed under human performance and safety management frameworks, noting that substance use has now been added to the list of factors that can trigger runway incursions alongside miscommunication, pilot error, and technical issues.

In response to the incident, the NSIB issued immediate safety recommendations to Air Peace, urging the airline to strengthen its crew resource management training, particularly in handling unstabilised approaches and go-around procedures, and to enhance internal checks for crew fitness-for-duty before dispatch.

The bureau affirmed that the investigation is ongoing, with further details to be made public in subsequent reports.