Nigeria’s investigation into a Bombardier Challenger 601-3A business jet incident has taken a significant turn after the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau said critical flight-recorder information was overwritten following the aircraft’s unusual landing near Asaba.

The VMO Aero-operated Challenger 601, registration N989BC, was involved in a serious incident during a flight from Lagos to Asaba. The aircraft missed the intended runway and landed on a concrete roadway near the airport. The NSIB had previously confirmed it recovered the aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder as part of its investigation.

In a new August 14 update, NSIB Director-General Alex Badeh said the aircraft was subsequently flown back to Lagos before investigators secured the data, resulting in crucial flight information being overwritten. He also said investigators are continuing their work and cautioned against assuming the operator deliberately destroyed evidence.

The development highlights an important business aviation safety and accident-investigation issue: preserving flight data immediately following a serious incident.

For private jet operators and flight departments, protecting cockpit and aircraft data can be essential to determining exactly what occurred and identifying safety improvements.

The NSIB investigation remains ongoing, with its final findings still to come.

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