The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said it will conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the cause of the crash of its Super Mushshak trainer plane at NAF Base Kaduna on Tuesday.
Air Commodore Edward Gabkwwt, the Director of Public Relations and Information at NAF Headquarters, said this in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to him, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), said this when he visited the families, friends, and colleagues of the two pilots, Flt.-Lt. Abubakar Alkali and Flt.-Lt. Elijah Karatu who died in the unfortunate incident.
When Amao learned of the tragic news of the crash, he formed an Accident Investigation Board to investigate the immediate and long-term causes of the accident.
The CAS promised the officers, airmen, and airwomen of Kaduna’s 401 Flying Training School (FTS) that all precautions would be taken to avoid a repeat of the incident.
In light of the onerous work that NAF and other security agencies face, he also reminded them of the need of remaining consistent and focused on their assigned tasks and responsibilities.
This, he explained, was to allow them to continue their efforts to clear the North-West, and the country as a whole, of criminal elements.
In his words, “The unfortunate incident of trainer aircraft crash is yet again a tragic reminder of the perilous nature of the military flying profession as well as the risks NAF pilots continually take daily to secure Nigeria’s territorial integrity.”
(NAN)