Air Peace co-pilot David Bernard alleged that he had to take control to stop a plane after the captain ignored his warnings during a flawed landing at Port Harcourt airport.
Air Peace: I Noticed The Captain’s Approach Wasn’t Stable; I Advised Him, But He Wouldn’t Listen -Bernard
He wasn’t following the Instrument Landing System that is normally used during landing.
David Bernard, Air Peace Co-Pilot pic.twitter.com/p5WvpJWM0a— ARISE NEWS (@ARISEtv) September 13, 2025
Air Peace co-pilot, David Bernard, has spoken publicly about the airline’s July 13, 2025, incident at Port Harcourt International Airport, alleging that the captain ignored safety advice during landing.
In an interview on Arise Television on Friday, Bernard said he observed that the captain’s approach was unstable. “The incident happened on the 13th of July, 2025. I was the pilot monitoring officer that day. It was good weather and good visibility,” he explained.
According to him, trouble began when the captain disengaged autopilot at 500 feet. “He was becoming high on the approach. I advised him that, Commander, you are high for this approach, we should initiate a go around. And he didn’t listen to me,” Bernard stated.
The co-pilot added that the aircraft crossed the runway threshold at about 200 feet and touched down past the midpoint. “He was so reluctant to use the reverse… I had to do it manually and bring the plane to a stop by
myself,” he said.