Arik B737 near Benin City on Feb 11th 2026, left engine cover separated in flight
Last Update: March 13, 2026 / 18:59:20 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Feb 11, 2026
Classification
Incident
Airline
Arik Air
Flight number
W3-740
Departure
Lagos, Nigeria
Destination
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Aircraft Registration
5N-MJF
Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-700
ICAO Type Designator
B737
Nigeria's NSIB opened an investigation stating the engine received substantial damage.
On Feb 18th 2026 the NSIB added: "During the cruise phase of flight, the crew detected abnormal indications on one of the engines. In accordance with established safety procedures, the flight crew conducted a precautionary engine shutdown and diverted to the nearest suitable airport, Benin. The aircraft landed without incident, and all passengers and crew disembarked normally. No injuries have been reported. Preliminary observations at the diversion airport indicate significant damage to the affected engine based on initial visual assessment."
On Feb 20th 2026 the NSIB added: "At about FL260 enroute Port Harcourt, the crew experienced a vibration accompanied by a loud bang from engine number 1. The crew stated that they secured the aircraft engine and diverted to Benin airport (DNBE). The aircraft left engine was damaged, the left engine cowling was also damaged and the vertical stabilizer." The occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated.
On Mar 12th 2026 the NSIB released their preliminary report stating that about a minute after becoming airborne the lead flight attendant reported a hissing sound to the flight crew, the sound was attributed to the L1 door seal. While climbing through FL260 about 11 minutes after departure a loud bang was heard followed by severe vibrations and a grinding noise from the left hand engine. The crew disengaged the autopilot, stabilized the aircraft and recognized the left engine had received substantial damage. The crew shut the engine down, declared Mayday and on ATC recommendation decided to divert to Benin City.
A post flight inspection revealed the #6 fan blade was fractured with the root left attached, all other fan blades were damaged. The engine inlet cowling was missing, the inboard and outboard engine cowling covers were folded upwards, the engine driven pump was found loose, a deep cut of 0.6 inches (1.5cm) was found in the containment case at the 2 o'clock position, another long cut of 7.2 inches (18.3cm) was found in the containment case at the 1 o'clock position, cracks were found in the engine containment case, outlet guide vanes at 5, 6 and 7 o'clock positions were missing, there were dents and punctures at various parts of the airframe, cuts on the left wing leading edge, the left horizontal stabilizer leading edge was damaged, the upper surface of the horizontal stabilizer was damaged with large cuts, the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer was damaged, visible damage to the rudder.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Feb 11, 2026
Classification
Incident
Airline
Arik Air
Flight number
W3-740
Departure
Lagos, Nigeria
Destination
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Aircraft Registration
5N-MJF
Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-700
ICAO Type Designator
B737
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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