Air Force Chief receives Panel report on crashed NAF aircraft that killed Gen Attahiru, others

Air Force Chief receives Panel report on crashed NAF aircraft that killed Gen Attahiru, others

The Joint Investigative Panel instituted by the Nigerian Air Force on the crash involving its Air Craft King Air-350 near the Kaduna Airport on May 20 which killed the former Chief Of Army Staff (CAS), Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru and other officers, has submitted its report to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, in Abuja.

In a press statement jointly signed by the NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet and Tunji Oketunbi, General Manager (Public Affairs), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), the CAS noted that the successful collaboration between NAF and AIB in the assignment is a clear indication of the potency of collaboration in aircraft accident investigation, which must be encouraged.

The statement read:

“Following the unfortunate incident involving a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) King Air-350 aircraft at the vicinity of Kaduna Civil Airport on 31 May 2021, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, directed that a joint investigative body consisting of experienced NAF safety officers and the Accident Investigative Bureau (AIB) be constituted to investigate the circumstances surrounding the air crash.

“After about three months of painstaking joint investigations, the Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of AIB, Mr Akin Olateru, today, 15 September 2021, submitted an interim report on the sad incident to the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Amao, at his office at NAF Headquarters, Abuja

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The submitted report is organised into three sections namely; the information obtained in the course of the investigation; analysis of data collected in view of the board’s terms of reference; and the conclusion, which covers the initial findings and immediate recommendations

“It should be noted that at this interim stage, a total of 27 initial findings and eight immediate safety recommendations were made for the convening authority as well as other aviation-related agencies for immediate implementation

“It is expected that the final report will contain the flight data recorder readout, the reviewed operator’s and service provider’s standard operating procedures as well as other detailed analysis

Receiving the report, the CAS reiterated the main essence of activating the ‘joint investigative’ clause contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the NAF and the AIB on 1 July 2020.

The CAS noted that the successful collaboration is a clear indication of the potency of collaboration in aircraft accident investigation, which must be encouraged.

Air Marshal Amao stressed that such collaborative efforts make accident investigations more transparent and open .

He explained that the outcome of the investigation is not necessarily aimed at punitive measures but essentially at generally improving safety in the aviation industry.