Max Air Plane With Waterlogged Tank Would Have Dropped From Sky Like A Stone If It Had Taken Off – Aviation Authority Reveals

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has slammed the rising cases of aviation fuel contamination around Nigeria.

The NCAA raised the alarm over increasing cases of aviation fuel contamination and poor adherence to standards by players in the sector.

NCAA raised the alarm on Thursday during an aviation stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja.

It said that Max Air’s Boeing 737-300 aircraft failed to take off from the Yola Airport in Adamawa State on July 7 because its main tank was filled with water.

SaharaReporters had reported that the NCAA suspended Max Air Boeing 737 (parts A3 and D43) aircraft from operating over safety concerns.

The regulatory body disclosed this in a statement issued by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Sam Adurogboye, last Thursday.

But Director of Airworthiness Standards of NCAA, Gbalohan Abalan, who spoke during a stakeholders’ meeting, listed Abuja, Lagos and Adamawa airports as places where fuel contamination had been recorded in four months.

Abalan said, “Imagine what would have happened if the aircraft detected the water in the air, the two engines would have shut down and the aircraft would have dropped from the air like a stone."

According to The Nation, the NCAA-stakeholders meeting was held just as the House of Representatives resolved at its plenary to probe the increasing cases of aviation fuel contamination and poor adherence to standards by players in the Aviation sector of the transport industry.

NCAA is also set to constitute a committee to ensure that aviation fuel quality is of a high standard.

During the meeting with stakeholders, including the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Abalan said the three cases of fuel contamination were recorded within four months.

He said: “On the 17th of July 2023, an incident of multiple failure water test upon refuelling a domestic airline occurred in Lagos.

“On 7th of July 2023, another incident of APU shutdown due to heavy water contamination occurred in Yola. Similarly, on the 28th of April 2023, an incident of APU shutdown during engine start due to fuel contamination in Abuja.

“On 30th of April 2023, an incident of inflight engine failure following fuel filter bypass occurred in Abuja.”

Although, the NCAA Director General, Capt. Musa Nuhu, was thankful that no accident was recorded in all the cases, he said they decided to probe the Max Air incident to prevent reoccurrences of such safety breaches.

Nuhu said, “The fuel contamination is outside the purview of the aviation ecosystem which is why we have engaged the regulator of the downstream sector.

“We have been in consultation with NMDPRA because they certify all the oil companies in Nigeria,” he said.

Nuhu explained that the collaboration had become imperative because of the lack of collaboration between NCAA, NMDPRA, and FAAN on fuel quality monitoring.

According to him, the NCAA, FAAN, NMDPRA, NSIB, airliners, pilots, fuel deport operators, aircraft maintenance officers and other stakeholders would be part of a committee that would ensure that aviation fuel quality was constant.

At its plenary, the House said the issue of contaminated aviation fuel required some level of urgency.

Leader of the House, Julius Ihonvbare, said an Ad hoc Committee should be given only four weeks to investigate and come up with a resolution for members to adopt.

He confirmed that the Max Air aircraft main tank had water in it.

This followed a motion of urgent public importance by Abdul Raheem Olawuyi.

Ihonvbare said, “When I saw water coming out of the tank of the aircraft, I was very scared. It is very urgent because lives were involved and so, we cannot wait for a standing committee.”

He expressed concern about the increasing cases of aviation fuel contamination, associated air travel risks and poor adherence to standard operating procedures and industry best practices in the aviation oil industry.

SaharaReporters had reported that Max Air accused Octavus Company of supplying it with contaminated fuel.

SaharaReporters had exclusively obtained a memo from Max Air dated July 9 and signed by Mubarak Haladu, the Head of Maintenance which addressed the source of the “Fuel contamination.”

“As a result of the serious fuel contamination on NM1649 5N-MHM aircraft on 07/07/23, which lead (sic) to the grounding of the aircraft, we have discussed and decided to suspend taking fuel from Octavus until further notice during which internal investigations and auditing of uel marketers are satisfactory (sic) completed,” the memo read.

SaharaReporters learnt that Octavus is run by Sheriff Shagaya and one of his sisters, children of Nigerian businesswoman and socialite, Bola Shagaya.

“They are the source of the contaminated aviation fuel and attempts are being made to cover it up,” a top source had told SaharaReporters.

Shagaya, a Nigerian businesswoman and fashion enthusiast, is the founder and CEO of Bolmus Group International, a conglomerate with holdings in real estate, oil and gas, banking and photography.

However, in a statement issued by Octavus General Manager, Peter Dia, the company denied supplying contaminated fuel to Max Air, adding that there was no evidence linking the fuel supplied by the company to the reported occurrences.