Update: NAF Debunks Helicopter Crash Report, Says UAV Involved in Mishap
The Nigerian Air Force has refuted reports that its helicopter crashed earlier today in Tami village, located in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Earlier, some locals claimed that an NAF helicopter crash-landed in the village, with the pilot escaping unharmed.
However, Edward Gabkwet, the Nigerian Air Force’s spokesman, clarified in a statement that the incident involved an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that experienced a mishap, not a helicopter crash.
Gabkwet said, “A NAF Unmanned Aerial Vehicle experienced a mishap after take-off for a mission at a location near Rumji Village, about 15 kilometers from the base. Since it is an unmanned vehicle, there were no casualties on board or on the ground.”
An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is a remotely piloted or autonomous aircraft, commonly known as a drone. It is a vehicle that can fly without a human pilot on board, controlled remotely or flying autonomously based on pre-programmed coordinates.
Gabkwet said that a preliminary investigation has commenced to ascertain the cause of the mishap.
“Nigerians can rest assured that this minor setback will not impinge on ongoing operations in any way,” he said.
Although the NAF has refuted the helicopter crash, Nigeria has witnessed multiple crashes in recent years.
In January 2019, a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) helicopter, which was providing close air support to troops of 145 Battalion at Damasak in Northern Borno State, crashed.
The next month, in February 2019, the helicopter of former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo crash-landed in Kogi State. Two years before that, in June 2017, his helicopter crash-landed after taking off in Gwagawalada, Abuja.
On February 22, 2021, a military aircraft scheduled to conduct a surveillance mission in a bid to rescue victims of a kidnapping from a school in Niger State crashed, killing seven people on board.
Three months later, in May 2021, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff died in a NAF crash along with 10 others. The NAF Beechcraft King Air Craft was en route to Kaduna International Airport from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja before it crashed, killing all on board.
In August 2023, a helicopter crashed in Ikeja, the capital of Lagos State, but no lives were lost.
