Exactly a month after a Nigerian Air Force FT-7NI trainer aircraft crashed in Makurdi, Benue State, while on a routine training exercise, another aircraft belonging to the Air Force on Monday crashed in the country’s North-Central state of Niger.
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, who confirmed the tragedy in a statement on Monday, said the ill-fated jet was on a casualty evacuation mission from Kaduna to Niger.
“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 in 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,” Gabkwet stated.
The statement said no casualties had been reported as at the time, but general investigations were ongoing to determine the possible cause of the crash.
Recall that on July 14, an FT-7NI trainer aircraft belonging to the Nigerian Air Force was confirmed to have crashed in Makurdi, Benue State, while on a routine training exercise. Luckily, however, the 2 pilots on board survived the crash after successfully ejecting from the aircraft, and there was no loss of lives or damage to any property around the area of impact, Gabkwet said at the time.
