Yemisi Izuora
A Bristow Helicopter has crashed into water with 11 people on board,
the helicopter was said to fly from Port Harcourt to Lagos.
Head, Public Affairs, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) Tunji Oketunbi, also confirmed the accident in an online statement.
According to Oketunbi, “A S76 C++ helicopter marked 5N-BQJ belonging to Bristow Helicopters, which departed ERHA Platform enroute Lagos was ditched into the Atlantic Ocean 95 nautical miles into destination at about 10:20am local time.”
He continued, “All the eleven souls on board including two crew members were rescued alive. Accident Investigation Bureau AIB has commenced investigation into the occurrence. Details will be communicated to you later.”
According to skybrary.aero a controlled ditching is a controlled emergency landing of a helicopter on water. It is prompted by a sudden –on set emergency, where continued safe flight to the nearest adequate landing location of even suitable landing not ascertained.
The crash is coming barely six months after its Sikorsky S-76C with registration number 5N – BDG – 760540 crashed at Oworoshoki of Lagos Lagoon.
The Spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),Ibrahim Farinloye confirmed the accident.
He added that nine passengers and two crew were rescued alive but that he cannot confirm their state of health until they get to the hospital.
In the 2015 crash six of the 12 people on board died, while six others survived.
The site of the crash as at the time of compiling the report was yet to be ascertained.
Meanwhile, Bristow Helicopters (Nigeria) Limited, has confirmed that one of its helicopters, was involved in a water landing near Lagos at about 10.25 a.m. local time on return from an offshore platform. The aircraft, a Sikorsky S-76C++, had departed on a routine crew transfer flight offshore with nine passengers and a crew of two.
The company confirmed that all persons onboard are accounted for and in the process of being transferred to a nearby installation and that they are in the process of collecting pertinent information and will release more details as soon as it is available.