A Nigerian Air Force F7-Ni single seat fighter jet, on a routine training exercise, crashed yesterday afternoon at a location close to the Kaduna International Airport.
The pilot on board the aircraft, however “ejected successfully”, a statement issued yesterday by the Air Force Headquarters, Abuja by the Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Y. Anas, stated.
It said a Search and Rescue Team from the Nigerian Air Force 301 Flying Training School Kaduna immediately rescued the pilot.
“The pilot, who is in a stable condition, is currently receiving treatment at the Nigerian Air Force Aero Medical Hospital, Kaduna.
No fatality on the ground was reported,” it statement added.
Meanwhile, a preliminary investigation into the crash, the statement said, has been ordered by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal MD Umar, to ascertain the cause of the accident.
In another development, the Force also announced the passing away of Air Vice Marshal John Yisa-Doko, a former Chief of Air Staff from 1975-1980, who died yesterday after a brief illness, saying, “the burial arrangements will be announced later.”