The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has revealed that members of the flight crew of an Air Peace aircraft tested positive for alcohol and drugs after a runway excursion in Port Harcourt. The preliminary report, released on Friday, linked the findings to the incident that occurred on July 13, 2025.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737, was operating a scheduled flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt with 103 passengers and crew members on board. According to the report, the flight made an unstabilised final approach before landing long on Runway 21. The aircraft touched down about 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and eventually came to a stop 209 metres into the clearway.
Although no passengers or crew sustained injuries and the plane did not suffer any structural damage, the incident raised significant safety concerns. NSIB investigators confirmed that toxicological tests conducted at the Rivers State Hospital showed the Captain and First Officer tested positive for ethyl glucuronide, a substance indicating recent alcohol consumption. In addition, a cabin crew member tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active compound in cannabis.
The bureau explained that these toxicology results are being evaluated under the human performance and safety management components of the investigation. It stressed that the crew’s intoxication has now been identified as a contributing factor to the incident, adding to common causes such as pilot error, poor communication, or runway defects.
In response, the NSIB issued immediate safety recommendations to Air Peace. These include strengthening crew resource management training, particularly around handling unstabilised approaches and making go-around decisions, and reinforcing internal procedures to ensure crew fitness-for-duty before any flight dispatch.
Reacting to the media reports, Air Peace said it had yet to receive any official toxicology results from the NSIB. In a statement signed by its management and posted on its official X account on Friday, the airline stressed that it maintains strict internal policies regarding alcohol and drug use.
“Air Peace conducts frequent alcohol and drug tests on our crew. We have a very strict alcohol use policy that is stricter than the eight hours before flight as provided in the regulations. Drug use is a NO-NO!” the statement read.
The airline further disclosed that disciplinary measures were taken immediately after the incident. According to the management, the captain of the affected flight was grounded and has remained off duty for failing to follow Crew Resource Management (CRM) principles and for disregarding standard go-around procedures despite being advised by his co-pilot.
Air Peace, however, clarified that the captain’s suspension was not due to a positive breathalyser result, noting that such a report had never been officially communicated to it by the NSIB. The carrier, which is IOSA-certified under the International Air Transport Association’s global safety benchmark, reiterated its commitment to upholding the highest safety standards in Nigeria’s aviation sector.