Aviation Trainee survives crash at Ilorin airport

An Aviation trainee pilot who flew solo on aircraft No 5N-BRM belonging to the International Aviation College created panic among passengers and other airport officials at the Ilorin Airport yesterday when he had difficulty landing the aircraft and had to veer off the runway.

No casualty was recorded in the incident as the aircraft stopped safely a few metres beside the runway. 

The Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB) and other relevant agencies are already investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. 

 A statement by Yakubu Dati, spokesperson for aviation parastatals said, “normal flights to the airport were not disrupted as a result of the incident involving aircraft at the Ilorin Airport yesterday, March 27, at 10.20 UTC with one pilot on board.”

“It must, however, be pointed out that this is normal in an aviation training institution,” Dati added. He said the clarification became necessary to guard against mischief-makers who may want to create a big issue out of the incident.

Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Ibrahim Abdulsalam, who was in Ilorin, yesterday also charged airspace managers at the nation’s airports to sustain the current drive for high quality air navigation service delivery to airlines in the country.

Abdulsalam stressed that the management of the agency would do everything possible to ensure that most of the glaring operational challenges at the various stations would be tackled systematically to enhance effective operations.

He assured the airspace managers that staff welfare would remain the focus of his management, adding, “acquisition of modern technology without prerequisite training will amount to nothing.”

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