Cameroon Air Force Z-9 crashed while landing at Douala airport on Apr. 23. Two pilots on board were hospitalized for two days.

The aircraft was taking part in a rehearsal for a parade to be held on May 20.

Two crew members of a Cameroon Air Force Harbin Z-9AE helicopter were lightly injured when their aircraft crashed near Douala International Airport last week.

The aircraft came down on April 24 whilst attempting to return to base after a routine training exercise. Local media report that the two crewmembers spent a couple of days in hospital before being released.

The communications minister issued a statement after the crash saying the helicopter had been practicing for Cameroon’s National Day celebrations on 20 May in Yaounde. The minister said an investigation to determine the exact causes of the accident is underway.

The crashed aircraft is relatively new to the Cameroon Air Force – four of the type were formally accepted into service by Cameroon’s Ministry of Defence on 10 November last year, after being acquired from China.