Student pilot unhurt as NCAT training chopper skids off runway

A trainee aircraft belonging to the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) on Wednesday skidded off the runway after landing at the NCAT airstrip. A source close to the college told our correspondent that there was no substantial damage to the aircraft and the student pilot was doing fine. Our correspondent also learnt that the […]

A trainee aircraft belonging to the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) on Wednesday skidded off the runway after landing at the NCAT airstrip.

A source close to the college told our correspondent that there was no substantial damage to the aircraft and the student pilot was doing fine.

Our correspondent also learnt that the student pilot was immediately hospitalized, while the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the Nigeria Civil Aviation (NCAA) had been notified of the incident.

Mall. Balarabe Muhammed, a spokesperson for the institution, in a chat with Daily Trust said it was just a minor incident and not an accident.

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He said, “As part of the normal training schedule, the aircraft landed but skidded off the runway. It landed safely but skidded off the runway. The aircraft is alright and the student is also alright.

“We would have taken the aircraft off the runway but as a matter of protocol, the NCAA would have to be invited to come and check it. So it is not an accident but an incident. It is part of the normal training. When you are training a student as a pilot, things like this are bound to happen.”

The NSIB is yet to confirm the incident as of press time.