Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
An Arik Air Boeing 737‑700 aircraft operating a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt was forced to divert and make an emergency landing at Benin City’s airport on Wednesday, 11 February 2026, after the crew detected a significant engine issue mid‑flight, aviation authorities and official sources have confirmed. The aircraft, registered 5N‑MJF and operating as Flight W3 740, landed safely without injury to any of the 80 passengers and crew members on board. Nigerian aviation investigators have since commenced a formal probe into the incident under international civil aviation protocols.
The incident occurred as the Boeing 737‑700 was descending toward Port Harcourt International Airport when flight crew reported hearing a loud bang from the left‑hand engine and observing abnormal engine indications. Following established safety procedures, the pilots shut down the affected engine as a precaution and diverted the flight to Benin Airport, which was deemed the nearest suitable landing site. The aircraft touched down without further incident.
A statement attributed to Arik Air’s corporate communications office confirmed that all passengers and crew disembarked normally and that no injuries were recorded. The airline said it had arranged onward transport for the affected passengers and expressed regret for the disruption to their travel plans, emphasising that passenger safety remains its highest priority.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), the statutory body charged with probing civil aviation accidents and incidents in Nigeria, issued an official statement saying it has begun a comprehensive investigation into the occurrence under Annex 13 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (ICAO) and relevant Nigerian regulations. The bureau described preliminary visual inspections at Benin Airport as indicating significant damage to the affected engine based on initial assessments.
NSIB’s Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Bimbo Oladeji, noted that a preliminary assessment team had been dispatched to Benin to secure the aircraft, collect and document evidence, interview the flight crew and other involved personnel, and recover critical data from the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. These efforts are intended to support a detailed reconstruction of the sequence of events leading to the engine anomaly and to determine any underlying contributing factors.
Consistent with international practice, NSIB said it expects to issue a preliminary report within 30 days of the incident. This early document will outline confirmed operational facts and any immediate insights from the initial phase of data analysis. A more comprehensive final report, which will offer causal findings and safety recommendations, will be published upon completion of the full investigation.
Images circulating on social media and included in multiple news reports show extensive damage to the left engine, with sections of the engine cowling separated and debris visible on parts of the fuselage and vertical stabiliser. This visual evidence supports descriptions of a significant in‑flight engine anomaly, though authorities have not yet characterised the technical nature or specific cause of the failure.
The aircraft involved is part of Arik Air’s domestic fleet and has been in service for several years. The airline resumed expanded operations in recent years after overcoming financial and regulatory challenges, and it continues to serve multiple domestic and regional routes. The diversion on 11 February adds to a pattern of aviation incidents in Nigeria over recent years that, while generally resolved without casualties, highlight broader operational focus on safety protocols and regulatory compliance.
Aviation experts note that modern commercial aircraft like the Boeing 737 are equipped with redundant systems and cockpit protocols that allow crews to respond effectively to in‑flight anomalies. Shutting down a malfunctioning engine and diverting to the nearest compatible airport, as occurred in this instance, is a standard emergency procedure designed to mitigate risk and preserve safety. Emergency landing protocols are routinely rehearsed by airline crews and are supported by air traffic control procedures that prioritise the rapid relocation of aircraft to appropriate landing sites.
The incident will attract scrutiny not only for its immediate operational implications but also for possible lessons in aircraft maintenance, engine performance monitoring, and fleet age considerations. Engine anomalies can stem from a range of issues including mechanical fatigue, maintenance lapses, manufacturing defects, foreign object ingestion, or environmental stressors. A thorough investigation by NSIB, in coordination with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the airline, and international technical partners, will aim to assess these variables as part of its analytic process.
For the aviation sector, this event underscores the importance of maintaining rigorous inspection regimes, adhering to global safety standards, and ensuring flight crews and maintenance teams are supported with current technical training and procedural tools. Independent investigators will evaluate both aircraft systems data and human factors to establish a complete understanding of how the engine anomaly developed and how effectively the flight crew’s response aligned with best practice.
Passengers aboard Flight W3 740 have been reported to describe the moment of the engine anomaly as accompanied by a loud noise, prompting concern on board before the diversion was executed. Despite the unexpected in‑flight development, passengers and crew remained unharmed, and the seamless coordination between flight deck and ground response teams demonstrated the resilience of safety systems even under urgent conditions.
As the investigation progresses, stakeholders including regulatory authorities, airline operators, and engine manufacturers will monitor findings for insights that could inform future safety measures. Aviation safety analysts often emphasise the value of transparent reporting and systemic review following in‑flight anomalies to support continuous improvements in global airline operations.
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