The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB-N) has gotten the mandate to lead investigation into the air crash involving a military aircraft in which the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru and ten other military officers and personnel lost their lives in Kaduna, North West Nigeria, on Friday.
This is however a clear departure from the past where crashes and serious incidents involving military aircraft were investigated by a board of investigators set up by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
It would be recalled that AIB-N, the only agency that has statutory mandate to investigate accidents and serious incidents involving civil aviation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NAF on July 1, 2020 to assist in investigations of crashes and serious incidents involving the latter’s aircraft.
In a statement made available to the press, spokesman of AIB-N, Tunji Oketunbi said folliwing the implementation of the MoU, authorities of Nigerian Air Force have given AIB-N the mandate to lead the investigations into the crashed military aircraft.
“The Accident Investigation Bureau, Nigeria (AIB -N) has been mandated by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to lead the Investigation into the crash of a military aircraft that occurred on Friday in Kaduna, in which the Chief of Army Staff died,” Oketunbi said.
He added that investigations into the crash have started following the retrieving of Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), (popularly known as Black box) from the wreckage of the ill-fated aircraft.
“Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), from the accidented Beechcraft 350 aircraft have been recovered and investigation has commenced.
“Investigators will download and analyse vital information contained in the recorders at the AIB-N’s world class Flight Safety Laboratory, in Abuja.”
He explained, “the mandate given to AIB-N is based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the two agencies on July 1, 2020 covering areas of mutual assistance.”
