Immediate-past Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Muhtar Usman has died aged 63.
He died in a hospital in Zaria, Kaduna State on Tuesday night, after a brief illness.
President of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Illitrus Ahmadu confirmed Usman’s passing.
Usman, who was born on December 5, 1956, in Zaria, was four days from celebrating his 64th birthday when he died.
He started his elementary education at Government Secondary Technical School, Soba and finished in 1972.
In 1973, he proceeded to Government Technical College where he passed out in 1975 after obtaining Federal Craft Training Certificate.
With his interest in aviation already piqued, Usman gained admission to Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, (NCAT), Zaria, in 1975 to pursue a course in Aero Electronics and Telecommunication where he obtained a Diploma certificate.
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The determination to get to the pinnacle of his chosen career drove him to acquire many other professional qualifications which are as follows – City and Guilds, Radio,TV,Electronics (1977) ,Commercial Pilot, Multi – Engine and Instrument ratings, Burnside – Ott Aviation Training Centre, Miami USA,(1977), B – 727 Flight Engineers’ rating, Miami, USA, (1980), Flying Instructors’ rating, Oxford Air Training School, UK,1982 and Airline Transport Pilot License, New York, USA,1992.
Others are Aircraft Accident Investigation, USA, (2006), Safety Oversight Inspectors’ course, Singapore,(2007), International Society of Air Safety Investigators’ Seminar, Singapore,(2007), Helicopter Accident Investigation, USC, USA,(2007), ICAO Organised Accident Investigation Seminar, Nairobi, Kenya, (2008) Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management Course (CNS/ATM), PAN AM Academy, Miami, USA,(2008) and Aircraft Accident Investigation Course, Cranfield University (2009).
In addition, Usman attended Airport Operations Course, Singapore (2009), ICAO Course on ECCAIRES database and exchange (2010) and Safety Management System Course, SCSI, USA, (2010).
These established Capt. Usman’s reputation as a versatile aviator and a complete professional whose experience spanned three decades.
During his career, he worked as a Flying Instructor at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, (NCAT), Zaria from 1981 – 1985.
He proceeded to the Nigeria Airways Ltd, Lagos between 1985 – 2004 where among other assignments he flew the B 737 Aircraft.
As a Fleet Captain’s Assistant, he assisted in fleet technical and operational administration.