Air Force Jet Crashes In Niger State

A somber incident unfolded in Niger State as an aircraft from the Nigerian Air Force crashed tragically. The ill-fated aircraft was en route to Kaduna State when the unfortunate mishap occurred on Monday, casting a shadow over the day.

Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the Director of Public Relations and Information for the Force, released a statement confirming the incident. The aircraft, identified as a Nigerian Air Force MI-171 Helicopter, was engaged in a casualty evacuation mission. Regrettably, it crashed around 1:00 pm in Chukuba Village within Niger State’s Shiroro Local Government Area.

The statement conveyed, “A Nigerian Air Force MI-171 Helicopter on a casualty evacuation mission crashed today, August 14, 2023, at about 1:00 pm in Chukuba Village, Niger State. The aircraft had departed Zungeru Primary School en route Kaduna but was later discovered to have crashed near Chukuba Village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.”

Amid the tragedy, the authorities immediately initiated efforts to rescue both the pilots and passengers on board. Concurrently, preliminary investigations were launched to uncover the potential cause of the crash.

This incident comes exactly a month after another aviation mishap involving a Nigerian Air Force FT-7NI trainer aircraft in Makurdi, Benue State. Fortunately, the pilots onboard the aircraft survived after successfully ejecting. Miraculously, there was no loss of life or property damage in the surrounding area of impact.

Air Commodore Gabkwet had previously stated, “Both pilots are currently under observation at NAF Base Hospital, Makurdi. Meanwhile, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has constituted a Board of Inquiry to determine the immediate and remote causes of the crash.”

As the nation mourns this tragic event, the focus remains on investigating the circumstances and learning from the incident to prevent such occurrences in the future…[CONTINUE READING HERE]>>>