Many feared dead in Nigeria Air Force aircraft crash

A yet unknown number of people are feared dead in a deadly crash involving an aircraft belonging to the Nigerian Air Force on Saturday.

A military insider said the aircraft took off at the Nigeria Air Force base in Kaduna and crashed into the nearby Ribadu cantonment shortly after take-off.

All passengers and crew are feared dead.

Some reports said there were three passengers and four crew members on board but that could not be immediately confirmed.

The aircraft, officials said, was on a training flight and was heading to Abuja before it crashed.

The cause of the crash remained unclear, but officials say they are suspecting engine failure.

The spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, Dele Alonge, confirmed the incident.

NAF spokesperson, Dele Alonge, told PREMIUM TIMES that while the number of passengers and pilot on board are yet to be ascertained, there were no survivors.

Mr. Alonge in a statement said the aircraft, with call sign NAF030, crashed into a house at Ribadu Cantonment, Kaduna.

“Though no casualty was recorded on ground, there were no survivors among the passengers onboard the aircraft,” Mr. Alonge, an air commodore, said.

He said the aircraft was Abuja bound and had taken off at about 6:45am from the Kaduna Military Airfield before the mishap.

“Bodies of the passengers have been recovered and fire fighters are already at the crash site to curtail fire from spreading to other buildings within the vicinity,” the spokesperson said.

Also, the Chief of the Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, an air marshal has aborted his official trip to Port Harcourt, Mr. Alonge said in the statement.

Mr. Abubakar is now set to visit the site of the crash and families of the deceased personnel in company of the Air Officer Commanding, Training Command, Alikali Mamu, an air vice marshal.

In addition, Mr. Abubakar has set up an investigation panel headed by an Air Vice Marshal to unravel the cause of the accident with immediate effect.

Estelle says: Don't they check the engines before take off?

Source: Premium Times