A private jet has been impounded in Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, as the authorities investigate its unauthorised landing at the country's main airport.
The plane was travelling from Liberia to Mexico last Thursday night before making a non-scheduled landing at Freetown International Airport, the ministry of information said.
The 14-seater aircraft with four people on board, including the pilot, was flying under "a fake registration number, with the parts of the registration number seemingly scratched off."
In a statement, the ministry said three of those found on board are Mexican nationals and the fourth carries a Spanish passport.
'Nothing suspicious'
"After a through search, police fund nothing suspicious on the flight. All four people found on the aircraft have now been handed over to the Sierra Leone police for further investigation," it said
The authorities said the plane did not fly from any recognised airfield in Liberia and did not have a landing permit.
The pilot landed the plane without contacting the air traffic controller at the airport and two air traffic controllers have been placed under investigation, the ministry's statement said.
"The crew claimed they had radio faiure before landing , a technical inspection revealed that the radio was working," it said.
The ministry also gave an assurance of Sierra Leone's airspace for normal flight operations.
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