A Nigerian Air Force passenger plane crashed on Sunday after suffering an engine failure, killing all seven passengers on board.
The Beechcraft King Air 350i was travelling from Abuja airport to Minna when the pilot reported a single engine failure, and turned back for Abuja, according to the air force.
The plane ultimately crashed into shrubland just outside of the airport’s perimeter while returning to its origin airport, air force spokesman Ibikunle Daramola said.
First responders attended the scene. Unfortunately there were no survivors.
Daramola confirmed that the air force has ordered an investigation into the accident.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said he was “deeply saddened by the fatal crash”, and sent his condolences to the families of the victims.
The air force has not publicly released the names of the victims.
Videos posted to Twitter show a crowd of locals watching on as emergency services worked to extinguish the flames at the scene.
A chartered flight just crashed at the Abuja Airport now. Everything burnt gosh ?????
God help this nation pic.twitter.com/qjjyisB6CT— Imoleayo Michael ? {iCode}?️ (@imoleayomichael) February 21, 2021
Witnesses said the pilot successfully manoeuvred the plane away from residential areas to vacant shrubland, however was unsuccessful in landing the plane at the airport.
Six military members killed in Mexico plane crash
In a similar incident also on Sunday, six members of the Mexican Air Force were killed when their Learjet 45XR crashed in Veracruz.
The cause of the accident is not yet known, however Mexico’s Defence Ministry has launched an investigation.
The plane crashed into a field shortly after take-off from El Lencero Airport at 9:45am on Sunday. It is believed the plane was headed for Villahermosa in Tabasco.
According to reports, much of the plane, apart from parts of the cockpit and tail, was destroyed upon impact.
Video captured from the scene showed rescue workers attempting to break the windows of the cockpit to find any survivors. Unfortunately, all six people on board were killed in the crash.
?✈️ El Instituto de Protección Civil de #Veracruz reporta la caída de una aeronave en el municipio de #EmilianoZapata de ese estado pic.twitter.com/374MiJKOyF
— xevt – xhvt (@xevtfm) February 21, 2021
Growler
says:Just in case anyone is curious, the aircraft in the photo at the top of this article is a Royal Australian Air Force King Air, and not the actual subject of this article.
Hannah Dowling
says:Good eye Growler! Couldn’t get a copyright license for a Nigerian one unfortunately, so we must make do! Thanks for reading.