Nigerian Air Force confirms crash of presidential helicopter

– The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has confirmed the crash of the presidential helicopter

 – A board of the NAF officers is now investigating the accident

 – The details of the investigation will be made public as soon as possible

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The Nigerian Air Force has confirmed the recent crash of an aircraft, Agusta AW 101, a medium-lift helicopter designed for military operations, at the Nigerian Air Force base in Makurdi.

                                                       Presidential aircraft handed over to Air Force crashes

Initially, the NAF has denied the crash but later Ayodele Famuyiwa, the spokesperson of the force, released a statement on the incident.

It states that the crash happened last week while the helicopter was taxing on the tarmac at 33 Logistics Group after a successful mission.

It also reads in part: “The attention of the Nigerian Air Force has been drawn to media report on the crash of one of the Agusta Westland 101 helicopters handed over recently by the Presidency.

Contrary to the crash report, it is pertinent to state that the mishap occurred while the helicopter was taxing after a successful mission. The incident happened last week on the tarmac at 33 Logistics Group, Makurdi.

The NAF has since set-up a board of officers to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the incident. The 7-man board is headed by Air Vice Marshal Emmanuel Anebi. Details of the investigation would be communicated to the public as soon as the Board concludes its assignment.”

           

The aircraft, Agusta AW101, is a large armoured helicopter that costs about $21meach (N10.5billion) making it 130% more expensive than the average aircraft of its class.