Bell 429 crash near Bauchi Airport, Bauchi, Nigeria

The helicopter was positioning from Abuja to Bauchi for a technical stop before continuing to Maiduguri the following day. From 18:46 the crew called Bauchi tower at five minute intervals and got no reply. They continued on the basis that they could land without the tower provided the airport was lit, but at five miles the airfield was in complete darkness. They flew two go-arounds after losing sight of the runway centreline. On the third approach the pilot monitoring saw a tree ahead, and as the crew pulled up a main rotor blade and the tail rotor struck it. The helicopter reached the ground and the tower called for the first time as it settled. Crew and passengers walked away. The causal factor was the decision to operate outside Bauchi Airport's hours after sunset, with inadequate dispatch preparation, weak regulatory oversight of the police air wing and a failure by Abuja air traffic control to advise the crew before departure as contributory factors.