MAJOR DISASTER AVERTED AS COWS TAKE OVER OWERRI AIRPORT RUNWAY

At Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri, Imo state, a major disaster was averted when plane full-loaded abort landing and forced to hover around the airport when the pilot noticed that the runway had been invaded by cows.

According Vanguard, one Mr. Richard Akinnola, who aboard the flight narrated the ugly incident, said the pilot was forced to hover around the airport until the runway was cleared by the airport security.

The frightened passengers, though initially thought the pilot deliberately aborted landing, praised him after explaining that a major disaster had been averted as the landing runway had been taken over by cattle.

This is not the first time a major airport runway was invaded by cows. The Port Harcourt International Airport runway was sometime ago invaded by cows and an approaching Air France plane collided with some of the cows.

The expertise of the pilot saved what would have been a tragic incident as the plane was only slightly damaged with passengers suffering shock.

The Federal Government was saddled with the burden of repairing the damaged plane.

When contacted on phone the Sam Mbakwe Airport/Air Peace incident, the acting General Manager, Public Affairs, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mrs Henrrietta Yakubu, said she had not been briefed and promised to get back.

Efforts to get the reaction of the Public Relations Manager of Air Peace proved abortive.