The Nigerian Air Force on Sunday assured Nigerians that investigations into last Friday’s plane crash and other recent ones would be transparent.
The NAF spokesman, Edward Gabkwet, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said the force would not rush to take any decision, but would wait for the outcome of the investigation involving it and the Accident Investigation Bureau before deciding on the fatal plane crashes.
Recall that 11 military officers, including the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, died on Friday when a Beechcraft KingAir B350i billed to land at the Nigerian Air Force Base, Mando, Kaduna crashed at the Kaduna International Airport.
The death of the officers increased the number of military personnel, who died in crashes involving NAF aircraft, to 33 in six years. Also, during the period, the Nigerian military lost 11 aircraft to crashes.
On February 21, a Beechcraft KingAir B350i aircraft crashed while returning to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport after reporting engine failure en route Minna. Seven crew members on board the jet died.
In the interview with The PUNCH, Gabkwet was asked if NAF would ground Beechcraft KingAir B350i since there had been two crashes involving it in recent times.
He said such an action would be hasty, adding that investigations into the fatal crashes were still going on.