From The Pompey Site
Pompey’s players had a dramatic arrival in Nigeria after their plane was forced to abort its landing in Abuja.
The Airbus 319 carrying the Pompey side and boss Harry Redknapp was just feet from touching down when the pilot abandoned the attempt.
To the shock of the 40-strong party on board – including England internationals Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Glen Johnson, Sol Campbell and David James - the private plane suddenly lurched back into the sky.
The Airbus then had to navigate around mountains in a lightning storm for more than half an hour.
The pilot told passengers he had been forced to abort the landing because he had not had clearance from the air traffic control tower.
Applause broke out from the players as the pilot finally made a perfect second landing at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
Blues defender Linvoy Primus said: “It was a great flight and we were just above the runway when the pilot suddenly pulled the plane out of the landing and back up into the sky.
“We were all shocked. No-one knew what was happening. There had been no warning that there was a problem.
“But credit to the pilot who soon told us that he had been unable to establish contact with the tower and had decided not to land.
“After circling for half an hour in lightning he then managed to get us down safely at the second attempt.”
The flight had started routinely enough from Bournemouth Airport seven hours earlier, passing over the Sahara Desert before beginning its descent into Abuja.
After landing safely, Pompey’s players and staff were led single-file through the airport under armed guard.
They then boarded a coach for a police-escorted trip in a rainstorm to the club’s hotel in Abuja.
The Blues play two games in two days in Abuja: against Nigerian Premier League Champions Kano Pillars on Saturday and Manchester United on Sunday.
David Nugent and Marc Wilson, both nursing mild groin injuries, did not travel to Nigeria.
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