The Nigerian Air Force reported that a trainer aircraft experienced a “minor mishap,” but both pilots emerged unharmed from the crash, which occurred near a military airfield in northern Kaduna state at 14:35 local time (13:45 GMT).
The pilots were returning from a routine training flight, according to the air force spokesman, Edward Gabkwet, who stated, “Luckily both pilots came out of the crash unscathed” in a statement.
No further details were provided, but the air force has initiated an investigation to determine the immediate cause of the crash.
Nigeria has witnessed several military air crashes in recent years, including the 2021 plane crash in Kaduna that resulted in the death of Nigeria’s army chief, Ibrahim Attahiru.
“He asked his former wife to come with him, and later he was found dead from a gunshot. ”
Spanish police told the media that the person who got hurt might have been living using a fake name.
According to the Spanish news agency Efe, the body of Mr. Kuzminov was found near a house in the town of Villajoyosa on the eastern coast of Spain. His documents matched his nationality, but had a different name on them.
A burned car that might have been used by the attackers was found close to where the crime happened, the intelligence agency’s press service said.
The “Operation Synytsia” allowed him to fly his Mi-8 helicopter over the border and land it in eastern Ukraine on 9 August.
Two more people on the helicopter didn’t know what Mr. Kuzminov was going to do. They were shot and killed when they tried to run back to the border after the helicopter landed. Kuzminov, who was also shot in the leg, said that the Russian forces were responsible for the killings.
In September, Mr Kuzminov said in a news conference that he changed his mind and joined the other side because he didn’t agree with Russia’s war on Ukraine.
He also said that Ukraine agreed to give him $500,000 (£397,000) in government payments, new documents, and protection for his family.
The Ukrainian government said they gave Mr Kuzminov the chance to stay in Ukraine.
The person in charge of keeping Ukraine safe said that the person would have been safe here. “He said they didn’t behave as badly here as they did in Spain. ”
Russian officials have not made a statement, but Sergei Naryshkin, who runs Russia’s spy agency, called the person a traitor and criminal.
A few months after Mr Kuzminov left, Russian TV showed a man who is supposed to be a Russian spy saying, “I don’t think he will live long enough to go to trial. “
In the Eastern Region’s Akim Asuboa near Akim Oda, Joseph Kwesi Effah, a 66-year-old farmer, has pleaded for forgiveness from the family of Prince Kwabena Kumi, a 36-year-old Aeronautic Engineer he mistakenly shot and killed in 2018.
Initially claiming he mistook the victim for an animal, Effah changed his plea to guilty for manslaughter upon his 2021 arrest.
At the High Court in Accra, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo sentenced Effah to five years in hard labor.
The remorseful farmer, a father of 13 and a tailor, knelt and begged for forgiveness from the deceased’s family, expressing deep regret: “I have regretted my actions. It was not my intention for the victim to lose his life.”
Mr Effah, a member of a neighborhood watch committee for community safety, explained the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“I have regretted my actions. It was not my intention for the victim to lose his life. I agreed to serve the society and community out of love. I have never had any encounter or fought with anybody”.
“Sometimes, when it is time for me to go and serve the community, I lock two of my little children in the room to enable me to go and return home safely,” he said to the family while sobbing”.
“At the time the incident happened, it never occurred to me that a Human being could be at the bush at that time. I am deeply sorry and I plead with the family of the victim who are present in court to forgive me and that it was not intentional.
“If I had been able to fulfill the bail conditions, I would have gone to see some elders to accompany me to the family of the deceased and render my apology to them,” the Convict pleaded.
“I am pleading with the family of the deceased present to forgive me and for the court to forgive me as well and that it was not intentional. I am also pleading with the court to help me apologize to the family of the deceased and that it was not intentional”.
However, the family found his apology difficult to accept, citing the delay in coming forward, as the incident occurred in 2018, and Effah was only arrested in 2021. They shared the profound impact of the tragedy on their lives.
While the prosecution acknowledged the unintentional nature of the act, they emphasized that it led to the death of a cherished family member.
The court, considering Effah’s guilty plea and the three years he spent in custody, handed down a five-year prison sentence with hard labor.
The tragic incident unfolded during a patrol when Effah and a fellow committee member heard a snoring sound in the bush. Believing it was an animal, Effah fired his gun, later realizing he had shot a human being. Despite the recognition of the mistake, they left the scene without reporting it to the police.
The pathologist determined the cause of death as hemorrhagic shock, severe jaw and chest injuries, and a gunshot at intermediate range. The ballistic report confirmed that the pellets retrieved from the deceased’s body matched those from the guns of the neighborhood watch committee members, including Effah.
This case serves as a somber reminder of the unintended consequences that can result from negligent actions, even within the context of community safety efforts. Effah’s guilty plea and subsequent sentencing aim to provide some measure of justice for the family of the deceased. The court has adjourned the case to November 16 for a pre-trial hearing.
A hilarious video of a Ghanaian mum’s reaction to her son’s flying surprise has gone viral on social media. The son, Kwesi, who lives in the UK with his family, had secretly trained to become a private pilot and wanted to give his mum the thrill of her life.
Kwesi had always dreamed of being a pilot, and his mum was his biggest supporter. But she had no idea that he had been learning how to fly and had earned his wings. He decided to show her his skills by taking her on a plane ride, and he captured her priceless reactions on camera.
He posted the video on his Instagram handle skyking_233 in 2021, with the caption: “My mum has always been my biggest supporter, and she knew I always wanted to be a pilot. What she didn’t know was I’d been learning how to fly and kept it as a surprise for her. I couldn’t just TELL her I’d earned my wings, I had to SHOW her. And thankfully I caught her raw reactions on camera 😩😂 Enjoy!
In the video, Kwesi’s mum is seen sitting in the passenger seat of a small plane, unaware that her son is the pilot. When he announces to her that he is going to fly the plane, she starts to panic and scream, saying “you won’t fly this plane. Where do you think you are going, Kwesi stop! stop!”
Kwesi tries to calm her down by showing her his licence, but she is not convinced. She reluctantly agrees to let him fly the plane, but as soon as they take off, she begs him to land again.
As they touch down safely, Kwesi’s mum takes out her phone and records her son piloting the plane, with a big smile on her face. She says, “that’s my sneaky boy.”
The video was recently shared by Twitter user @niilexis and reposted by @AsieduMends, and it has generated a lot of laughter and comments from other users.
Many people said that Kwesi’s mum’s behaviour was typical of Ghanaian mothers, who are protective and cautious of their children.
Others praised Kwesi for fulfilling his dream and giving his mum such an unforgettable experience. Some even wished that they could do the same for their own mothers someday.
A one-week Pilot Training Workshop was recently conducted in Tarkwa, Western Region, targeting District Mining Committees (DMCs) and selected Small Scale Miners.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources orchestrated this workshop, with intentions of extending its reach nationwide.
This initiative forms part of the ongoing endeavors to formalize Ghana’s artisanal and small-scale mining sector. Its primary objectives encompass ensuring compliance with legal frameworks, upholding environmental standards, fostering health and safety measures, and enhancing the sector’s positive contributions to local socioeconomic progress.
The workshop encompassed an array of subjects. These included Mining Policies and Legal Framework, Geological Explorations and Mineralogical Characterization of Ores, Mining Methods and Operations, Mineral Processing Methods, Environment, Social, Health and Safety in Artisanal Small-scale Mining (ASM), ASM Business Management and Administration. Notably, discussions also delved into vital matters such as Gender Mainstreaming and the issue of Child Labour within ASM.
George Mireku Duker, Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, emphasized that responsible mining stands as a pivotal driver of the country’s development.
“Let us work together to create an enabling environment where responsible mining practices can thrive”, he said.
“By formalizing the sector, we can mitigate the negative impacts of illegal mining activities and create a more sustainable and inclusive industry. Through building the capacity of the District Mining Committee’s (DMCs) and Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners, the Government aims to ensure sustainable and best mining practices are upheld” he said.
He claims that the government is contributing to the transition of the mining industry to a green and sustainable one. The Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners, the traditional leaders, and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDCEs) must all play their parts as well.
According to him, the government is determined to make sure that the District Mining Commissioners (DMCs) are properly trained so they can assist in the effective monitoring of mining operations in their particular districts.
“As you learn all the basics about mining, please get to the grassroot and do your part to protect the environment for our survival and future generations. The knowledge and skills acquired here will benefit you and ripple out to the broader small-scale mining community as you serve as trainers in the step-down training at the community level.” he said.
Mr. Duker expressed appreciation for the University of Mines and Technology, the Ghana Landscape Restoration and Small-Scale Mining Project, and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for creating the training manual and materials and setting up the training session.
“Your dedication and commitment to promoting responsible mining practices in our country is commendable. Let me also thank the World Bank Group for the financial and technical support that has made it possible for the government to provide this capacity-building training” he added.
The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, noted that the region is responsible for 60% of the nation’s gold production.
He noted that mining, is everywhere in the country but it has to be done right and responsibly. “Let us learn the best practices to ensure its sustainability; the way the water bodies are polluted and the environment destroyed does not augur well for the industry and the country as a whole”.
He mentioned that some of the illegal mining lands are being restored in the region through the collaborative effort of the Western Regional Coordinating Council and the Small-Scale Miners Association. “Abide by all the principles in mining and implement what is being thought and discussed here,” he said.
Isabella Ivy Kangah, Assistant Basin Officer at the Water Resources Commission a participant who shared her thought on the topics discussed said “I have gotten to know the regulation, licensing and the importance of being legalized as a small-scale miner and getting the necessary permits for the operation”.
She said it is very important for small scale miners to keep records and submit report. “When you fail to submit the report, you will be fined or you can be given a penalty”. “We went through geological exploration, various mining methods and how to process the ore when you get it. And under the geological exploration, we go to know that most of the time people think most of the alluvial gold are found in the river basin. When you study the history of rivers, rivers actually divert as they move so, the greater amount of gold is found away from the river and not in the rivers. So, this will educate the small-scale to know that there’s no need for them to go into the rivers to fetch our gold while they can go away from it because that’s where they can get a greater amount of gold” she explained.
A tragic incident unfolded on a LATAM Airlines flight from Miami, U.S., to Chile, where an airline pilot lost his life after collapsing in the aircraft’s restroom. The flight, bearing 271 passengers, was in the hands of Captain Ivan Andaur, aged 56.
Captain Andaur’s discomfort emerged approximately three hours into the journey. Despite receiving immediate emergency aid from the crew after collapsing in the restroom, his condition rapidly deteriorated.
The flight promptly altered its course, diverting to Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport.
Tragically, the skilled veteran pilot’s life could not be saved, and he was pronounced deceased by first responders upon the plane’s arrival.
The flight, identified as LA505 and utilizing a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, had embarked from Miami at 10:11 pm on Monday, August 14.
It’s notable that the flight roster included a relief captain and a first officer when this unfortunate event transpired.
Following the incident, the flight left Panama City on Tuesday and continued on to Chile.
Early on Sunday morning, Peter Gregory was declared dead after his hot air balloon caught fire above a village in Worcestershire.
People have paid tribute to the 25-year-old who passed away “doing what he loved.”
His family wrote in a statement sent by West Mercia Police: “Peter Gregory, 25 years of living life to the fullest.
‘Our Pilot Pete made one more trip on the morning of Sunday, June 25, doing what he loved.
‘Be it in a hot air balloon or as an airline pilot, Peter’s passion for flying was something his family and friends could only admire and support him towards.
‘When he set his heart to something, he’d never give up, he was driven and determined, and one could only watch on in awe.
‘We will fly together again soon Pete. We love you, Dan, Mummy, Daddy & Emma.’
Mr Gregory’s death is being investigated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
Emergency services attended Holt Fleet Road in Ombersley after receiving a call that a hot air balloon had fallen to the ground near the village.
The British Balloon and Airship Club (BBAC) said it was aware of the incident.
‘The AAIB have been informed and supported by the BBAC, will be investigating the circumstances,’ a statement said.
‘Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those involved at this time.’
Rudolph Erasmus, a South African pilot, thought it was just another trip until, at a height of 11,000 feet, he became aware of an additional passenger.
But instead of a person, a cobra was creeping beneath his seat.
“To be truly honest, it’s as if my brain did not register what was going on,” he told the BBC.
“It was a moment of […] awe,” he added, saying he initially thought the cold feeling on his back was his water bottle.
“I felt this cool sensation, sort of, crawling up my shirt,” he said, thinking he may not have closed the bottle properly and water might have been dripping down his shirt.
“As I turned to the left and looked down I saw the cobra […] receding its head backwards underneath the seat.”
He then made an emergency landing on his flight from Bloemfontein to Pretoria. The plane was carrying four others, as well as the snake.
A bite from a Cape cobra is lethal and can kill someone in just 30 minutes, so not wanting to cause panic, Mr Erasmus says he thought carefully before calmly telling those on board that there was an extra unwanted passenger.
He was also “so scared the snake might have gone to the back and cause mass panic”.
Image caption,A bite from a snake usually requires an overnight hospital stay as well as medicine to fight the venom
In the end, he decided the tell them. “I did inform the passengers: ‘Listen the snake is inside the aircraft, it’s underneath my seat, so let’s try and get down to the ground as soon as we can.’”
So how did the passengers react? Mr Erasmus described a moment of absolute silence: “You could hear a needle drop and I think everyone froze for a moment or two.”
Pilots are trained for lots of scenarios, but certainly not for dealing with snakes in the cockpit he said, telling the BBC that panicking would have just made the situation worse.
The plane made an emergency landing in the city of Welkom.
However, the presence of the snake, although shocking, was not a total surprise. Two people working at Worcester flying club where the plane first took off, said they had earlier spotted a reptile taking refuge under the aircraft. They tried to “grab” it, but without success.
Mr Erasmus said he tried to find the snake before boarding the aircraft with his passengers, but “unfortunately it was not there, so we all then safely assumed that it must have crawled out overnight or earlier that morning, which was on Monday”.
The slithering passenger is still missing, as engineers who then stripped the plane are yet to find it.
Mr Erasmus has been hailed a hero, with South African civil aviation commissioner, Poppy Khosa, praising his “great airmanship indeed which saved all lives on board,” according to the News24 site.
But the modest pilot says he doesn’t feel like he’s special for what he did: “I think that’s a bit blown up if I can be direct,” he said. “It’s also my passengers that remained calm as well.”
According to local media, a South African pilot made a safe emergency landing after spotting a snake under his seat.
On Monday morning, Rudolph Erasmus was transporting four people from Cape Town to the northern town of Nelspruit, but he was forced to terminate the flight when he felt something cold on his body, according to Times Live news website.
“As I turned to my left and looked down, I saw the [Cape] cobra putting its head back underneath my seat,” he is quoted as saying.
The bite of a Cape cobra can kill a man in 30 minutes.
South African civil aviation commissioner has hailed Mr Erasmus as a hero, news24 website reports.
“Great airmanship indeed which saved all lives on board,” Poppy Khosa is quoted as saying.
The pilot said he was unsure if he should tell his passengers after spotting the snake during the flight. He said he didn’t want to cause a panic.
“I just said, ‘listen, there’s a problem. The snake is inside the aircraft. I’ve got a feeling it’s under my seat so we are going to have to get the plane on the ground as soon as possible,” he is quoted as saying.
At Welkom, he was able to perform an emergency landing.
According to Mr. Erasmus, engineers who dismantled the aircraft did not discover the rogue reptile.
On Wednesday, he intends to fly the aircraft once again.
A Piper PA-28 161 Warrior III flies above the urban aeroclub
The co-pilot didn’t realise the instructor seated next to him had passed away until the Piper plane landed after taking off from Blackpool.
A pilot believed his co-pilot was laughing and “taking a nap,” but the man had actually passed away in the cockpit mid-flight, according to a report.
The pilot said he thought the 57-year-old instructor was ‘just joking’ after his head rolled back and slumped over shortly after taking off.
But the instructor, who was his ‘normal cheerful self’ on the morning of the flight, had actually suffered acute cardiac failure.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch investigated the incident and concluded current medical assessments were acceptable but risks ‘can never be reduced to zero.’
The instructor is said to have died in the cockpit of the Piper PA-28-161 aircraft, shortly after leaving Blackpool Airport, Lancashire, last June.
It was only when the pilot landed the aircraft and started to taxi back on the runway did he realise his colleague was not responding and realised ‘something was wrong’.
The report said: ‘The pilot knew the instructor well and thought he was just pretending to take a nap whilst the pilot flew the circuit, so he did not think anything was wrong at this stage. He proceeded to fly the aircraft round the circuit.’
It added that the pilot noticed his colleague was ‘still resting on his shoulder’ and realised something was wrong.
He quickly signalled to the airport fire crew, who contacted the air ambulance medical crew who are based at the airport.
But the instructor remained unresponsive and they were unable to save him, according to the report.
The instructor had medical history of high blood pressure and had been taking blood pressure medication since 2002 but had passed a medical test four months before his death.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it continually reviewed health guidance and the ‘rarity’ of accidents caused by cardiac events in flight ‘suggests the balance is currently about right’.
The pilot and co-pilot exchanged blows as they flew an Airbus A320 from Geneva to Paris in June, Swiss news outlet La Tribune said.
Members of the cabin crew intervened after hearing the noise. One crew member stayed in the cockpit until the flight landed safely.
The incident did not affect the flight, the airline told La Tribune.
The incident comes after a report published by France’s air investigation body on Tuesday said that the airline had a culture which lacked rigour when it came to safety procedures.
“Hey all, join me in extending warmest congratulations to the latest Ghanaian pilot in town, Bismarck Antwi-Danso, on completing his license skill test and officially being certified as an @Airbus A320 pilot! Congrats Bismarck on your well-deserved achievement!†Quainoo said in the post.
Antwi-Danso will now join Emirates pilot, Captain Solomon Quainoo as the two Ghanaian pilots making waves on the international airspace.
Captain Quainoo in his post called on Ghanaians to congratulate Antwi-Danso on achieving the feet.
Earlier in October 2018, Captain Solomon Quainoo became the first Ghanaian pilot to successfully make an inaugural one-off Emirates A380 aircraft landing at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) with United Arab Emirates (UAE) national First Officer, Faisal Alhammadi as his co-pilot.
