The Nigerian aviation sector has been embroiled in controversy following a runway excursion incident involving an Air Peace aircraft at Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13. The aircraft veered off the runway during landing, prompting an investigation by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).

The NSIB's preliminary report revealed critical findings: the aircraft touched down significantly late, at 2,264 meters from the runway threshold, well beyond the recommended touchdown zone, eventually coming to a stop 209 meters into the clearway. Further exacerbating the concerns, toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew returned positive indicators for alcohol consumption for both the captain and co-pilot, David Bernard, while a cabin crew member tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis.

Air Peace, however, strongly disputed the NSIB's toxicology findings, asserting that it had never received official communication from the bureau regarding these results. The airline clarified that the captain was dismissed for failing to adhere to crew resource management principles and for ignoring the co-pilot’s advice to go around, rather than for substance use. Notably, Air Peace also confirmed that co-pilot David Bernard had been reinstated with the full approval of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The NCAA, through its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, staunchly defended its decision to clear co-pilot David Bernard. Speaking during an X space, Achimugu stated that both the NCAA’s internal investigations and the NSIB’s preliminary report did not find Bernard culpable for the incident. He highlighted that Bernard had, in fact, advised the captain to initiate a ‘go around’, a crucial safety recommendation that the captain did not heed.

Achimugu emphasized the injustice of grounding an individual for an extended period during an ongoing investigation without clear evidence of wrongdoing. He also mentioned that the NCAA had reached out to the NSIB and was awaiting comprehensive feedback to inform further actions. Bernard himself appeared on Arise Television, vehemently denying the NSIB’s toxicology findings and maintaining that he neither drinks nor smokes.

Bernard recounted his experience during the incident, explaining that while weather and visibility were good, the captain became