The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) says it recovered the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder of the Beechcraft 350 aircraft which crashed on Friday in Kaduna.
Eleven military officers including the chief of Army staff Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru died in the crash. They were buried on Saturday at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja.
AIB spokesperson Tunji Oketumbi said on Saturday that the bureau was mandated by the Nigerian Air Force to lead investigation into the crash.
“Investigators will download and analyse vital information contained in the recorders at the AIB-N’s world-class flight safety laboratory in Abuja,” Mr Oketumbi said in a statement.
He noted that the mandate given to AIB-N was based on the memorandum of understanding it signed with the military on July 1, 2020, covering areas of mutual assistance.
Aviation minister Hadi Sirika tweeted, saying the flight recorders would make investigation quicker.
“The Flight Data Recorder and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (Black Box) are both found and in the custody of our Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB). These recorders are critical to the investigation and will make things easier and faster,” he said.
It was gathered that the ill-fated aircraft, with registration number 5N-R203, was billed to land at the Nigerian Air Force Base in the Mando area of Kaduna before it diverted and attempted to land at the Kaduna International Airport due to bad weather.
It, however, skidded off runway 05 in the process and burst into flames.
