By Gideon Njoku
David Hundeyin, an investigative Journalist, has alleged that the Private Jet which crashed in Ibadan on Friday, November 3, 2023, was operating illegally in Nigeria’s airspace.
The plane which had on board the Minister for Power, Adebayo Adelabu and 9 others, excluding the crew members, crashed-landed about 50 metres short of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport Ibadan, Oyo State. But even though the plane was badly damaged, there was no fatality.
The HS 125 aircraft, bearing nationality and registration marks 5N-AMM, was operated by Flint Aero.
It crashed at about 8:21p.m., an hour after it took off from Abuja.
While the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB, has started an investigation,
Hundeyin, in a post on X alleged that Flint Aero has been operating the crashed plane, as well as other of its planes, illegally, to the full knowledge of some top Aviation Authorities.
According to him, “This aircraft has no permission to operate commercial charter flights as it is registered under a Permit for Non-Commercial Flights (PNCF). This is the permit given to private non-commercial aircraft, and it is cheaper and easier to obtain than a commercial Air Operator Certificate (AOC), because the NCAA rules for private aircraft operation are less stringent than those for commercial aircraft.”
He revealed that: “PNCF holders don’t have to pay the 5% regulatory fees that AOC holders are required to, and the regulatory requirements for pilot training, ground staff training and aircraft maintenance are also less strident because PNCF aircraft are not under any circumstances supposed to carry paying passengers. Senior NCAA personnel (you know yourselves) take a cut of the revenues from these illegal commercial flight operations to keep this whole scam going.”
Following is the full text of
David Hundeyin on X (formerly Twitter):
“Example no 1,055 of why Nigeria has no actual elite to speak of, but rather a bunch of rich dunces who think at the exact same level as your average Rafiu at the mechanic village in Ojokoro:
“The Hawker 800XP aircraft with the tail identifier 5N-AMM and serial number 258286 that crash landed in Ibadan with the Minister of Power onboard is operating illegally in Nigeria with the full knowledge and participation of the NCAA.
“This aircraft has no permission to operate commercial charter flights as it is registered under a Permit for Non-Commercial Flights (PNCF). This is the permit given to private non-commercial aircraft, and it is cheaper and easier to obtain than a commercial Air Operator Certificate (AOC), because the NCAA rules for private aircraft operation are less stringent than those for commercial aircraft.
“Flints Aero Service, the company which operates it, is also operating multiple aircraft under PNCF permission and using them to carry out commercial charter flights. Some of these aircraft include the Hawker 800XP with the tail identifier 5N-ALG and another Hawker 800XP with the tail identifier 5N-AMK.
“PNCF holders don’t have to pay the 5% regulatory fees that AOC holders are required to, and the regulatory requirements for pilot training, ground staff training and aircraft maintenance are also less strident because PNCF aircraft are not under any circumstances supposed to carry paying passengers. Senior NCAA personnel (you know yourselves) take a cut of the revenues from these illegal commercial flight operations to keep this whole scam going.
“Now a sitting cabinet minister who may or may not know about all this has almost died in an accident on an illegal, unlicensed commercial flight run by his fellow “elite” who was willing to risk his life to save some money, and was enabled by top ranking NCAA staff who will inevitably try to cover this up by hanging the blame entirely on Flints Aero Service.
“Honestly, I kind of wish he had died. Maybe only the death of one of their number will force the so-called Nigerian elite to think long and hard about whether running a country in such a disastrously primitive and selfish manner for the sole and exclusive purpose of exploiting everyone and everything for pitiful amounts of profit will work out for everyone INCLUDING THEMSELVES in the long run.
“A class of moneyed subhumans!”
