The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has confirmed that an Air Peace pilot and co-pilot tested positive for alcohol and drugs after a runway incident at Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.
The Boeing 737, carrying 103 passengers, veered off Runway 21 following an unstabilised approach but all passengers and crew escaped unharmed.
The NSIB report revealed the aircraft landed 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and stopped 209 metres into the clearway. Toxicology tests at Rivers State Hospital confirmed traces of alcohol and drugs in the crew.
The statement partly reads:
“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.”
