An helicopter belonging to the Nigerian Air Force has crashed in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
It was learnt that the helicopter with the number NAF MI-35P crashed at exactly 7.45 am shortly after it took off for an operation against economic saboteurs in Rivers State.
The cause of the crash was yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.
NAF spokesman, Edward Gabkwet, who confirmed the crash, said all those onboard survived with “minor injuries”.
Gabkwet, an Air Commodore, explained that the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, is on his way to the scene to assess the situation.
The Chief of Air Staff is currently en route to Port Harcourt to assess the situation for himself, see to the wellbeing of the crew, and give further directives.
“An incident of this nature is yet again a grim reminder of the dangers associated with military flying and the risks NAF pilots and technicians experience in their onerous tasks of defending our nation and deterring criminal elements from their nefarious activities,” Gabkwet said.
Checks by our correspondent show that the fresh crash brings to four crashes in total recorded by the NAF in 2023.
With the latest Rivers State crash, the force has lost 3 helicopters within the year under review.
Specifically, on February 6, 2023, a Nigerian Air Force maritime patrol aircraft crash-landed in Lagos.
The aircraft, a Cessna Citation CJ3 which was on a routine flight.
It had lost its tyres on touch and go flight in Ilorin and had to carry out a controlled belly landing at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
Fortunately, there were no fatalities or injuries to any crew member and persons on the ground.
Similarly, on July 14, 2023 a Nigerian Air Force FT-7NI trainer aircraft crashed in Makurdi, Benue State.
The aircraft crashed while on a routine training exercise but luckily, the two pilots on board survived the crash after successfully ejecting from the aircraft.
Additionally, there was no loss of lives or damage to any property around the area of impact.
In the same vein, a NAF jet marked MI-171 Helicopter on a casualty evacuation mission also crashed August 14, 2023 at about 1:00pm near Chukuba Village in Niger State.
All the casualties involved had since been buried accordingly at the military cemetery, Abuja.
Editor’s note: The picture in this story was used for illustration purpose.
