The Accident Investigation Bureau, Nigeria (AIB) says it has recovered the black box containing the flight data recorder of the military aircraft that crashed in Kaduna State.
A statement issued by the AIB General Manager for Public Affairs, Tunji Oketunbi, on Saturday stated that the bureau had commenced investigation into the crash.
The Aircraft, which crashed at the Kaduna international airport on Friday, is a Beechcraft 350 model belonging to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
The Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 other military officers were killed in the plane crash.
Attahiru was said to be on his way to Kaduna to attend a passing-out parade for army recruits scheduled for Saturday.
Oketunbi said the aircraft’s flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) have been recovered for analysis.
the statement read, “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,” the statement reads.
“The 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.
“The crash, which occurred on landing, claimed 11 lives including the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, his aides, and the flight crew.
“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.”
