Two rescued as jet on test flight crashes in Lagos

Two persons were on Tuesday rescued when a private aircraft on a test flight crashed in the Ikeja area of Lagos.

The jet crashed along the Oba Akran avenue in Ikeja, in the afternoon.

According to a statement by Adeseye Margaret, director of Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the jet crashed into “an old communication pole opposite UBA, inward Ikeja bus stop on Oba Akran Avenue, Ikeja Lagos”.

“The impact of the crash resulted in an inferno and was swiftly put out,” the statement reads.

“The motorised escort crew to the helicopter were joined by the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service headquarters and Ikeja to avert a secondary occurrence.

“Danger has completely been averted. Operations concluded.”

Also speaking with journalists on the incident, Ibrahim Farinloye, acting coordinator of NEMA south-west zone, disclosed that only the pilot of the jet sustained serious injuries.

“By the time, we got here the community has done the job for us and that is why we always say that once communities are empowered about what to do when an incident happens, things will be better in areas of saving lives,” he said.

“The community brought out fire extinguishers and all other things. This area has a lot of dangerous stuff like gas and petrol stations.

“The community was able to rescue the two members on board. No casualty. The victims have been taken away for medical care. Only the pilot sustained serious injury.”

‘CRASHED JET ON TEST FLIGHT’

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has identified the aircraft type as a Jabiru J430, a light single aeroplane with nationality and registration Marks 5N-CCQ operated by Air First Hospitality & Tours.

The bureau, in a statement by Tunji Oketunbi, general manager of public affairs, said it has been “notified and commenced an investigation into the accident which occurred around a little after 1500hrs local time on August 1, 2023″.

The aircraft, according to the bureau, was on a test flight within Lagos with two passengers onboard, before it crashed.

“The aircraft caught fire on impact but the spread was contained by the rainfall at the time of impact. The two souls on board were taken to the hospital,” the statement reads.

“The NSIB, hereby, solicits information from the general public in the form of pictures, video, or recording evidence to assist in conducting a comprehensive investigation.

“The bureau can be reached through [email protected] and NSIB_Nigeria on its social media platforms. The bureau can also be reached on its emergency line +234-807-709-0909.

“The NSIB is a multimodal investigation agency charged with the mandate to investigate transportation accidents and serious incidents in Nigeria with the aim of identifying the probable causes and proffer safety recommendations that can prevent reoccurrence.”