UPDATE 6-Nigerian air force passenger plane crash kills seven people

* Seven killed were air force personnel
* Air force did not identify the dead
* Investigation underway, air force says

(Adds statement from manufacturer Textron)
By Abraham Achirga
ABUJA, Feb 21 (Reuters) - A small Nigerian air force
passenger plane crashed just outside Abuja airport after
reporting engine failure on Sunday, killing all seven people on
board, the air force said.
The plane, a Beechcraft King Air 350i, was on its way to the
city of Minna, 110 kilometres (68 miles) northwest of the
capital, air force spokesman Ibikunle Daramole said in a
statement.
The aircraft "crashed while returning to the Abuja Airport
after reporting engine failure", said Daramole. "First
responders are at the scene. Sadly, all seven personnel on board
died in the crash."
The chief of the air force has ordered an investigation into
the accident, Daramole said.
President Muhammadu Buhari in a statement sent his
condolences to the air force and families of the victims, saying
he was "deeply saddened by the fatal crash".
In scrubland just outside the airport perimeter, dozens of
military and airport officials picked through the charred
remnants of the fuselage as fire engines and ambulances stood
by.
The smell of burning chemicals lingered in the air but no
fire or smoke were visible. Onlookers watched the rescue efforts
from behind a cordon.
"As he (the plane's pilot) was going down, he struggled to
go back to the airport, at the end he just crashed," said Alaba
Lawal, who said she witnessed the accident.
"I just saw the whole thing explode, fire and smoke together
... When I got there I saw dead bodies on the ground."
The air force did not provide the identities of those killed
in the crash.
The Beechcraft King Air 350i is a twin-propeller aircraft
made by Textron Aviation, a unit of the U.S.-based Textron Inc
TXT.N conglomerate. The model was first released around 2009.
The company said in a statement that it had been notified of
the accident, which it said is being investigated by Nigeria's
Aircraft Investigation Bureau and the U.S. National
Transportation Safety Board.
"As a party to the investigation, the company is prohibited
by NTSB regulation from divulging any information about the
accident or investigation," the company said.