List of Military Plane Crashes Recorded in Nigeria in 2021
The year 2021 has been particularly challenging for Nigeria as the nation is hit by incessant air crashes which have claimed many lives.
From the Abuja incident to the latest one in Zamfara, the Nigerian military has recorded at least four plane crashes in 2021.
Source: Getty Images
1. Military plane crash near Abuja
On Sunday, February 21, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF)'s King Air 350 crashed near Abuja, killing all the seven personnel on board.
According to the minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika, the plane crashed shortly after reporting engine failure.
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2. NAF475 went off the radar
On Wednesday, March 31, the NAF475 belonging to the Nigerian Air Force went off the radar.
The plane which had two officers on board was heading to Borno state to assist the soldiers fighting the Boko Haram terrorists. The two NAF officers on board died.
3. Kaduna air crash
On Friday, May 21, a Nigerian military plane crashed in Kaduna state, killing Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 other military officers.
They were en route Kaduna from Abuja when the ugly incident happened.
4. July air crash in Zamfara
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Monday, July 19, confirmed that one of its aircraft crashed while returning from a successful air interdiction mission in Zamfara state.
Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the NAF director of public relations and information, made this known in a statement sent to Legit.ng.
According to the spokesman, at about 12.45 pm on Sunday, July 18, a NAF Alpha Jet aircraft came under intense enemy fire following its mission between the boundaries of Zamfara and Kaduna state.
Fortunately, the pilot of the aircraft, Flight Lieutenant Abayomi Dairo, survived after he successfully ejected himself from the aircraft.
In 2021 alone, the Nigerian military has lost 20 military officers, including the former Chief of Army Staff to plane crashes.
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Attahiru’s death: Probe of crashed military jet in Kaduna begins
Meanwhile, the Accident Investigation Bureau, Nigeria has announced that it has recovered the black box of the crashed Nigerian Air Force plane in Kaduna.
The bureau disclosed that the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) from the accident Beechcraft 350 aircraft have been recovered and investigation has commenced.
The federal agency stated that the next step is for investigators to download and analyse the information contained in the recorders.
Source: Legit.ng
