Air Peace Crew Fail Drug and Alcohol Tests After Port Harcourt Runway Scare
A fresh preliminary document obtained by its newsroom that the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has confirmed two Air Peace flight officers failed post-incident drug and alcohol screenings following a serious runway mishap at Port Harcourt International Airport.
According to the report signed by Mrs. Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, the Bureau’s Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, and released Friday, toxicological analyses revealed the pilot and co-pilot both had alcohol in their systems. One cabin crew member also tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis.
The runway incident occurred July 13, 2025, when an Air Peace Boeing 737 operating a scheduled Lagos–Port Harcourt flight with 103 passengers veered off Runway 21 after what investigators now describe as an “unstabilised final approach” and a “long landing.”
PulseNets learnt that the aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the threshold before coming to a halt 209 metres into the clearway. All 103 passengers and crew disembarked safely, and no injuries were recorded, the Bureau emphasised.
In its statement to PulseNets, the NSIB categorised the occurrence as a “serious incident,” adding that pilot intoxication has emerged as a major contributing factor. “Toxicological screening carried out after the occurrence confirmed the captain and first officer were positive for ethyl glucuronide, which signals recent alcohol intake,” the Bureau revealed.
The Bureau further disclosed that “one cabin crew member tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis—commonly known as India hemp.” Investigators said these findings are now under review within the human performance and safety management aspects of the probe.
While runway excursions are often linked to communication breakdowns or equipment failures, officials told PulseNets that the detection of both alcohol and drug use among the crew has triggered urgent aviation safety concerns across the sector.
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In direct response, the NSIB has issued immediate safety recommendations to Air Peace Limited. The Bureau urged the airline to reinforce crew resource management training, improve handling of unstabilised approaches and go-around procedures, and strengthen internal systems for assessing crew fitness prior to flight dispatch.
