Yemisi Izuora
The Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Akin Olateru has said that the Bureau would release in ten days the preliminary report which will include factual information about the accident involving Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
In a statement, the Commissioner commended the professionalism of the rescue team, without whose effort there may have been casualty and/or injury.
He assured the public that the investigation would be detailed, thorough and timely, stressing that accident Investigation is not to apportion blame, saying it is about fact and making safety recommendations with a view to preventing future occurrences.
Oriental News Nigeria reports that on February 2, 2019 at about 1331 UTC, (14:31 Local Time) an helicopter (AgustaWestland 139) with Nigerian Registration Marks 5N-CML and serial number: 31389, owned and operated by Caverton Helicopters crashed on landing in Kabba, Kogi State, with 12 souls on board including the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN).
Passengers and crew survived the accident with no injury.
Meanwhile, the aircraft which is under management by Caverton Helicopters was said to have crashed as a result of unusual weather conditions according to the Managing Director/Accountable Officer of Caverton Helicopters, Capt. Josiah Choms.
Choms, in a statement said there were no injuries to the passengers or crew on-board and they were all quickly and safely evacuated.
His said, “The relevant authorities have been duly informed and an investigation into the incident has commenced. We will, of course, support the authorities as required”.
“We wish to reassure the public and our various stakeholders of our unwavering commitment to safety in all of our operations”.
The AgustaWestland AW139 is a 15-seat medium-sized twin-engined helicopter
It is marketed at several different roles, including VIP/corporate transport, offshore transport, firefighting, law enforcement, search and rescue, emergency medical service, disaster relief, and maritime patrol.
In addition to AgustaWestland’s own manufacturing facilities in Italy and the United States, the AW139 is produced in Russia by HeliVert, a joint venture between AgustaWestland and Russian Helicopters.
The AW139 was originally designed and developed jointly by Agusta and Bell Helicopters and marketed as the Agusta-Bell AB139, being redesignated AW139 when Bell withdrew from the project.
Since entering service in 2003, the AW139 has become one of AgustaWestland’s most influential products; it has been subsequently developed into two enlarged medium-lift helicopters, the military-orientated AW 149and the AW189 the civil market.