The Accident Investigation Bureau has submitted its interim report to the Nigerian Air Force on the NAF Beechcraft 350 crash that killed 11 military personnel including a serving Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, on May 31, 2021.
The AIB, which submitted its report after three months also listed 27 initial findings and eight safety recommendations for immediate implementation.
A statement by Edward Gabkwet, NAF spokesman, reads in part;
“After about three months of painstaking joint investigation, the Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of AIB, Engr Akin Olateru FNSE, today 15 September 2021 submitted an interim report on the sad incident to the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Amao, at his office at NAF Headquarters, Abuja.
The submitted report is organised into three sections: namely; the information obtained in the course of the investigation; analysis of data collected in view of the Board’s Terms of Reference; and the conclusion, which covers the initial findings and immediate recommendations.
It should be noted that at this interim stage, a total of 27 initial findings and 8 immediate safety recommendations were made for the convening authority, as well as other aviation related agencies for immediate implementation.
It is expected that the final report will contain the flight data recorder readout, the reviewed operator’s and service provider’s standard operating procedures, as well as other detailed analysis.”
Speaking during the presentation of the report, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao commended the collaboration between NAF and the AIB, adding that it would help to promote transparency.