Two Die as NAF Training Aircraft Crashes in Kaduna

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna

A Nigerian Air Force plane yesterday crashed during a routine training session at the 401 Flying Training School at the Nigerian Air Force Base in Kaduna.

Two pilots were feared dead.

Spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, was yet to confirm the incident as at the time of filling this report.

Security sources said an instructor pilot and his student may have been involved.

THISDAY learnt that the student pilot, Flight lieutenant Abubakar Alkali, has since been buried at Kawo burial ground according to Islamic rites.

Meanwhile, the aircraft was said to be a Mushshak  trainer aircraft. It was also used by Pakistan Army and Air Force for training purposes.

The crash comes eleven months after a NAF aircraft crashed in Kaduna. The incident, which occurred in May 2021, then involved a Beechcraft 350 which crashed around the Kaduna International airport.

Former Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 other military officers, who were on board when the plane crashed died then.

Following the incident, the House of Representatives had called on the federal government to investigate the air crashes involving military planes in the country.

In all, five NAF aircraft have crashed in the last one year.

Three crashed in Kaduna while two went down in Abuja