| KAMPALA
A UGANDAN registered Lockheed Tristar plane crashed on Wednesday while
landing at Lagos Airport in Nigeria.
According to Uganda's High
Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms Joan Rwabyomere, the plane, registration
number 5X-AAL, was flying in from Dubai. "It overshot the runway and
crashed," she said by telephone from her Abuja Office yesterday. "But
there was no death reported and the aircraft was not so badly damaged."
The main runway at Lagos Airport is said to be undergoing major repairs
and so much of the traffic is directed to use the shorter one. Rwabyomere,
however said the incident was due to poor weather.
It has been
raining a lot here, yesterday there was a big downpour and the skies were
very hazy, she said. Actually there was a Kenya Airways flight that was
delayed due to the weather. Rwabyomere asserted that the plane belongs to
Dairo Air Services, a Ugandan Cargo handling company. Its the only Dairo
Air Services plane that operates here, she said.
Denial
But this was vehemently denied by Management
of Dairo Air services. What you have heard is total rubbish, charged Ian
Walker, the Managing Director of Dairo Air Services. This plane had
nothing to do with Dairo Air Services, he said by telephone yesterday,
It did not belong to us.
According to Walker, this Tri star
has been an elusive plane whose ownership is not clearly known and has
been flying routes illegally carrying both passengers and cargo. We dont
want our good name to be spoilt by an illegal aircraft, added
Walker.
Ignie Igundura, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) public
relations officer said he was not aware of the incident. We are trying to
get information from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, he said by
telephone yesterday. I dont think I can be of help at the moment, he
said.
Registration
According to Walker, this plane first
came to Uganda as a Congolese registered passenger plane and was parked at
Entebbe airport where it accumulated parking fees. Someone at the CAA and
government got involved and the plane was re-registered in Uganda, he
said, after which it did some few flights.
Walker adds that while
the aircraft is a passenger plane, it has been used to carry cargo.
Flights
It was flying dangerously, he said. It
did not have the 9 G net [available in cargo planes to protect the cockpit
in case of accident], a cargo floor and cargo door.
Walker said the
aircraft was chased from Entebbe Airport over a fortnight ago and it went
to Dubai, from where it crash-landed in Lagos.
This aircraft was
occupying space (at Entebbe) and was not airworthy, Walker said. He did
not know the rightful owners of the plane but asserted that it had a crew
of six Europeans. | 
