The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has revealed that an Air Peace pilot and co-pilot, who flew the aircraft involved in a runway excursion incident at the Port Harcourt airport on July 13, 2025, tested positive for alcohol and hard drugs.
This was contained in a preliminary report signed and released on Friday by Mrs. Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance at the NSIB.
It will be recalled that on Sunday, July 13, an Air Peace aircraft, Flight P47190 experienced a runway excursion after landing at the Port Harcourt International Airport. The aircraft veered off the runway but sustained no damage.
In aviation, a runway excursion is an incident where an aircraft veers off or overruns the runway surface during takeoff or landing.
According to the NSIB report, the pilots flying the Air Peace Boeing 737 were involved in a “serious incident” while carrying 103 passengers.
The NSIB stated: “The aircraft, operating as a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt with 103 persons on board, landed long on Runway 21 after an unstabilised final approach. The aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and came to a final stop 209 metres into the clearway.
“All passengers and crew disembarked safely, and no injuries were reported.”
The Bureau explained that the domestic flight, which departed Lagos, encountered an unstabilised final approach before landing beyond the recommended touchdown zone on Runway 21. The aircraft eventually came to a halt 209 metres into the clearway.
While all on board disembarked safely, the incident raised major safety concerns.
The preliminary report further disclosed that toxicological tests conducted on the crew “turned out positive.”
“The tests showed alcohol in the system of the flight crew, while a cabin crew member tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound found in cannabis, also referred to as “India hemp.”
The NSIB noted that these toxicology results are being assessed within the framework of human performance and safety management, both critical factors in aviation investigations.
Following the findings, the Bureau said it had issued immediate safety recommendations to Air Peace.
The statement continued: “Initial toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew revealed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption. A cabin crew member also tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis. These results are being reviewed under the human performance and safety management components of the investigation.
The NSIB has issued immediate safety recommendations for Air Peace Limited to strengthen crew resource management training, particularly in handling unstabilised approaches and go-around decisions, and to reinforce internal procedures for crew fitness-for-duty monitoring before flight dispatch.
“Toxicological test was conducted on the flight crew at Rivers State Hospital Management, Department of Medical Laboratory, Port Harcourt, on 13th July 2025, and they tested positive for some substances. Toxicological screening conducted post-incident revealed that Captain and First Officer tested positive for Ethyl Glucuronide, indicating recent alcohol consumption.”
