By our reporter| New facts have emerged about the final moments of the ill-fated Nigerian Air Force jet, NAF201, that crashed near the Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport, Abuja, on Sunday that killed the seven persons on board.
The aircraft, B350, departed Abuja for Minna, Niger state on Sunday morning before it crashed.
According to eyewitness accounts, the pilot who struggled with the aircraft before crash-landing, saved what could have been a disaster in the area.
One of them, Mrs. Alaba Lawal, while in tears upon seeing the site of the crash, narrated her experience to a national publication.
“I saw the pilot struggling. I think he had just picked up from the airport. As he was going, he suddenly drove down. He tried to come up again. In fact, he was a merciful pilot. He struggled to return to the airport but he suddenly crashed at a point, she said.
“It was very painful. I just heard a loud sound. Fire and smoke erupted immediately after the plane crashed. I was just crying. Nobody survived when I got there. The pilot tried to avert the disaster.”
Another eyewitness, Kingsley Oluche, also told the publication that one of the victims initially survived the crash.
“We discovered that they brought out some dead bodies. We could not recognise the dead bodies that I saw. They initially brought out four persons. They later brought a woman out. The woman was still breathing. She died before the rescue team arrived.”
Vivian, who also witnessed the incident, lamented that she could not eat as a result of the crash.
She said, “The plane was trying to land and from there, it goes up again. It was terrible. Later, it approached the airport. it has not gotten to where other planes do get to before landing.
“I just saw the plane going down. At a stage, I could not see it again. All I heard was a loud sound with fire and smoke. I was so traumatised. I was like God, this is human beings burning. I couldn’t even eat the lunch I was planning to take. I was scared.”
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