Former Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo on Sunday took to his Instagram page to commemorate the second anniversary of his miraculous survival from a helicopter crash in Kabba, Kogi State.
Sunday Telegraph reports that the incident, which occurred on February 2, 2019, was a terrifying yet miraculous experience that has remained etched in the minds of Nigerians.
At the time, Osinbajo was Nigeria’s vice president under President Muhammadu Buhari, and they were on the campaign trail for a second term in office.
Osinbajo, alongside 11 others, boarded an AgustaWestland helicopter with registration number 5N-CML, operated by Caverton Helicopters Limited.
Departing from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at 1:46 pm, the flight to Kabba began smoothly under favourable weather conditions.
However, approximately 30 minutes into the flight, the helicopter’s systems alerted the crew to a failure of the Multi-Purpose Flight Recorder (MPFR), which functions as both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.
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Despite the malfunction, the pilots, aged 34 and 22, determined that the issue was not an emergency and continued the flight.
Upon arrival in Kabba, the crew encountered a challenge.
The advance team, which had already landed in a Nigeria Police Force helicopter, reported dusty conditions at the landing site which was a school field.
As Osinbajo’s helicopter descended, the pilots experienced a “brownout,” a phenomenon caused by low visibility due to dust stirred by the rotor blades.
At an altitude of 15 feet, the crew lost situational awareness, leading to a hard landing.
The helicopter tilted onto its side upon impact at 2:34 pm, but quick actions by the crew, including shutting off fuel and power systems, averted a potential disaster.
Despite the crash completely destroying the helicopter, all 12 passengers, including the then-vice president, emerged unharmed.
The miraculous survival was widely celebrated across Nigeria, with many attributing it to divine intervention.
Reflecting on the incident two years later, Osinbajo’s message serves as a reminder of the fragility of life and the enduring gratitude for safety.
Osinbajo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) shared a message of gratitude saying: “On this day, our helicopter crashed in Kabba, Kogi State.
“Today we remember once again that 12 of us onboard survived by grace alone.”
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