The air crash that claimed the life of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant Attahiru Ibrahim was the third mishap involving Nigerian Airforce planes since February, 2021.
On February 21, 2021, NAF’s King Air 350 crashed after reporting engine failure, killing all seven officers on board.
On March 31, an Alpha jet of the Nigerian Air Force went missing and has not been found till date. Authorities later announced they believed the jet crashed possibly due to engine failure. Two officers were on board the ill-fated plane.
Interestingly, the plane crash of February and that of today that killed General Ibrahim and 10 other top officers involved the same brand of aircraft, King Air 350 aircraft.
Nigeria had four of them, namely NAF201, NAF202, NAF203 and NAF 204.
NAF201 crashed in Abuja in February. NAF203 crashed today, leaving NAF202 and NAF204.
Nigerians are already asking questions about the suitability of the aircraft for our environment. Some are also raising query whether it s a matter of inadequate training for the pilots.
Many online commenters are suggesting that the remaining two King Air 350 aircraft be grounded pending an intensive investigation to understand what is happening.
