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A light piston engine aircraft with two occupants that has registration mark 5- NCCQ and operated by Air First Hospital and Tour hospitality, a firm that provides air ambulance services on Tuesday afternoon crashed along the busy Oba Akran road in the Ikeja area of Lagos.
The flight was on its way to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, less than three kilometers from the crashed site at about 13:41 hours (1:41 pm local time) while flying at 1500 ft.
The aircraft was said to possess five hours endurance and it was making the circuit test flight from MMIA when it dropped to the ground and created a slightly deep crater beside the busy road.
“The two souls on board the ill-fated aircraft survived,” the Director General of the Nigerian National Safety Investigation Bureau, Engr. Akin Olateru, confirmed while responding to the accident.
Emergency response bodies moved swiftly to the scene of the accident and cordoned off the place as the two pilots were rushed to the hospital.
A situation update issued by the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) however, wrongly labelled the crashed machine as an helicopter.
Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu in a terse statement said, “The agency has activated its disaster response plan to the above incident which occurred around 1600hrs.
“A helicopter containing 4 persons including the pilot crash landed in front of the United Bank of Africa branch on the road.
“All four casualties have been retrieved from the aircraft alive. They have been transferred to hospital for further care.
“The area has been cordoned off and is being blanketed to prevent a secondary incident.
“All Emergency Responders are on scene.”
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