NSIB Flags Runway, Tower and Weather Gaps After Enugu Air’s Benin Overrun

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, in a preliminary report published 21 August 2026, has told aviation authorities to look again at the runway-end, the control tower’s line of sight, and the weather information available to crews — the gaps it says sat around Enugu Air’s runway overrun at Benin.

The aircraft was an Embraer ERJ 170-100LR, marks 5N-ENR, operating scheduled flight ENU4264 from Lagos to Oba Akenzua II Airport, Benin, on 23 July 2026. Five crew and 63 passengers were on board. It landed on Runway 05 at about 2:55 p.m., ran off the paved end, and struck approach lights and two concrete remains of a decommissioned localiser. Everyone left the aircraft by the escape slide. Nobody was injured.

What the crew and the tower said

The aeroplane left Lagos at about 2:19 p.m. The crew was cleared for an ILS to Runway 23, then flew an RNAV approach to Runway 05. They were worried about rain. The tower said the path to 23 looked better. The crew stayed with 05. At about 2:48 p.m. visibility was about 1,500 metres in moderate rain. The tower cleared them to land on a wet runway.

Those are facts in a preliminary file, not a verdict. NSIB said the investigation does not exist to blame. It exists so the next wet afternoon does not write a different ending.

The four immediate recommendations

The bureau issued safety recommendations A-2026-039 to A-2026-042 to the NCAA, FAAN, and NiMet. Funke Arowojobe, NSIB’s director of public affairs, said a flight-path recreation video had been released and that the final report would add conclusions.

Enugu Air is a South-East name on a national aerodrome. The passengers who walked off at Benin included people going home through the East’s own carrier. A clean evacuation is good news. A preliminary report that still has to warn about lights, concrete and weather is the news that should travel with it.