Plane avoids crash after strange smoke filled cabin midair

An Arik Air aircraft, a Dash 8 Q400, was forced to make an emergency landing in Ghana after the pilot discovered smoke in the cabin while flying from Lagos to Accra, Ghanas capital, on Tuesday, March 6, 2018.

The aircraft, belonging to Nigeria's biggest airline, developed the mysterious problem while it was still several miles away from its destination and was forced to land without any problems.

The airline's spokesperson, Adebanji Ola, said it was a minor mishap that was caught early by the pilot and didn't result in harm to anyone.

He said, "Arik Air flight W3 304 from Lagos to Accra on March 6, 2018 declared an emergency in line with standard operating procedures, when unknown source of smoke was detected in the cabin 81 miles from Accra.

"The captain of the flight briefed the passengers accordingly, assuring them that the aircraft was under control and safe for landing in Accra.

"The aircraft, a Dash 8 Q400, landed safely in Accra without further incident and all passengers disembarked normally."

Plane undergoing assessment

Ola further revealed that the malfunctioning aircraft in question is still in Accra being examined by its team of engineers who are conducting comprehensive inspections.

After the inspections, the aircraft will be flown to a maintenance facility for recertification and testing.

"The relevant aviation authorities in Ghana and Nigeria have been briefed appropriately on the incident," he said.

Despite his claim that there was no incident, the emergency landing only came to light on Thursday, March 8, when a passenger on the flight complained on social media about ill treatment after the scary experience.

The incident follows recent near mishaps in Nigerian aviation as two high profile incidents involving Dana Air has prompted a backlash from the public and the government.