Late COAS: AIB Commences Investigation Into Plane Crash, Black-Box Recovered

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The Accident Investigation Bureau, Nigeria (AIB-N), said it has been mandated by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to be the lead investigator into the ill-fated crash of a military aircraft that happened on Friday in Kaduna, in which the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 others died.

The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) or 'black box' from the crashed Beechcraft 350 aircraft have been recovered and investigations have already commenced.

This was disclosed by the AIB-N spokesperson, Tunji Oketumbi, who also stated that "investigators will download and analyse vital information contained in the recorders at AIB-N's world-class flight safety laboratory in Abuja."

Oketumbi stated that the mandate given to AIB-N by NAF is based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the 2 agencies on July 1, 2020, covering areas of mutual assistance.

Oketumbi said, "This is not the first time we will be asked to investigate a military crash. We were asked to do so some years ago. As usual, both the preliminary and final reports of this crash will be submitted to the military which invited us to do it. It is the military that will decide what to do with it thereafter."

Oketumbi said although the plane crash occurred at the civil aviation side of the airport, the AIB-N would not be able to investigate the crash unless it was invited to do so by the military, because the crash involved a military aircraft.

The Beechcraft 350 aircraft with registration number 5N-R203 was slated to land at the NAF Base in Mando, Kaduna State before it was diverted to land at the Kaduna International Airport.

An Air Traffic Controller at the Kaduna International Airport said the NAF plane was diverted to the civilian airport due to the bad weather condition.

Reports suggest that the plane touched down but skidded off the runway and burst into flames.

The names of the plane crash victims are: Lt. Gen. Attahiru (COAS), Brig. Gen. M.I. Abdulkadir (Chief of Staff to COAS), Brig. Gen. Olayinka (Acting Provost- Marshal), Brig. Gen. Kuliya (Acting Chief of Military Intelligence), Maj. L.A. Hayatu(ADC to COAS), Maj. N. Hamza (Chief Security Officer to COAS), Sgt. Umar Sa'idu (Orderly to COAS), Flt. Lt. T.O. Asaniyi(Pilot), Flt. Lt. A.A. Olufade (Co-Pilot), Sgt. Adesina and ACM Oyedepo.