Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, “In Good Spirit”, after surviving aircraft crash- Aide
Oredola Adeola
Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of Power, has reportedly confirmed that he is in good spirit, having survived an aircraft crash near the Ladoke Akintola Airport in Ibadan, Oyo State, en-route Ibadan from Abuja, with 10 passengers and 3 crew members onboard.
One of the close aides of the minister informed newsmen in Ibadan on Saturday that Adelabu was in good spirits and not perturbed by the incident.
According to him, “The Minister feels the incident is not something to worry about. It was actually a minor thing, and that is how he has taken it,” an aide of the minister, who asked to stay anonymous.
Everyone on board the aircraft when the incident happened actually alighted without any problem, and we have no cause to worry,” the aide said.
He further said the Minister was particularly not worried by the incident because it did not involve any of the passengers leaving with any injuries.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says it has commenced investigation into an accident involving an HS 125 aircraft with nationality and registration marks 5N-AMM, belonging to Flint Aero.
Mr. James Odaudu , Director of NSIB Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, said in a statement in Abuja, that the accident occurred at about 8:21p.m. on Friday.
He also confirmed that the there was no fatality, as all passengers and crew were safely evacuated.
A preliminary finding showed that the Hawker 800XP with nationality and registration marks 5N-AMM, Hawker 800XP aircrafts, tail identifiers 5N-ALG and 5N-AMK, operated by Flints Aero Service, were found to be operating commercial charter flights without proper permission.
Meanwhile further checks showed that the Flints Aero Service is owned and managed by Abdullahi Mohammed Muye.
Sources said that the aircrafts were operating under a Permit for Non-Commercial Flights (PNCF) instead of an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) due to the less stringent rules for private aircraft operation compared to commercial aircraft.
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