Ken Okeke
The Federal Government has disclosed that representatives from the United States of America (USA) and France will be joining investigators at the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to examine the wreckage of the helicopter that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, told the Media that the countries would join Nigeria in the investigation because the aircraft was designed and manufactured in the USA, while the engine of the aircraft was designed and manufactured in France.
The Sikorsky SK76 helicopter with registration number 5N-BQG crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the Coast of Bonny Finima on October 24, 2024.
The helicopter, which is operated by Eastwind Aviation, had six passengers and two crew members on board at the time of the accident.
So far, five bodies have been found, while three bodies are still missing.
The Minister said the helicopter engines and other related components will be examined at the NSIB wreckage hangar in Abuja after being subjected to a teardown exercise.
He said, “The participating states on this issue are the United States of America, as the State of design and manufacture of the helicopter, it has appointed a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator. So, we are cooperating and collaborating with the United States where it was manufactured, and they have appointed an investigator to work with us.
“He is an accredited representative of the NTSB in America, assisted by a technical advisor, nominated by Sikorsky Aircraft.
“Meanwhile, France, as a state of design and manufacture of the engines, has appointed an accredited representative assisted by a technical advisor from SAFRAN, the engine manufacturer, because the engine was manufactured in France”.
He added that the examination aims to find safety issues and recommend a safety change to prevent a similar occurrence.
“We will examine the roles of man, machine, and the environment that might have directly or indirectly contributed to this accident. We will review the certified maintenance documents of the crash helicopter and the crew’s training and medical records. We have received full cooperation from the operator, and as I speak with you, all the agencies of the aviation, NCAA, NAMA, and NiMet are all cooperating with the NSIB”.
He said: “Over 60 personnel were mobilized to the sites, including professional divers and other technical experts. We deployed marine vessels and diver boats equipped with sophisticated state-of-the-art gadgets for scanning the seabed and tracking the depth of the sea around the vicinity of the accident sites varied from 40 to 100 meters.
“It is imperative to mention that the search and rescue operations continued unabated day and night for 14 days. So far, five bodies were identified to be the deceased passengers were recovered, while one passenger and two crew members are yet to be found.”
On the identity of the victims, the minister said: “No foreigner was on board the ill-fated helicopter. They were all Nigerians.”
On the fate of the three missing bodies, the Director General of NSIB, Alex Badeh Jr. said the search continues.
He also said the Federal Government has notified Cameroon of the search operation, adding that it suspects that some bodies may have floated to Cameroon.
Badeh said: “As you know, the federal government does not give up on any Nigerian citizen lost or harmed anywhere. So, the Nigerian government, through the Federal Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, is still conducting a long-term search and recovery effort for the missing two crew members and one missing passenger.
“We have notified others in the littoral waters, Cameroon in particular, to see if anybody floats up into their waters. As you know, we found one body in Cameroon a few days later. So, we’re still looking. The Navy is still on the lookout and so is the NNPC. So, Nigeria will not give up on the missing victims.
“We suspect that the other three may have floated into Cameroon and the NSIB has also informed the Cameroonian authorities to also assist at their end because we don’t have the right to just get into their waters like that without adequate clearance”.
Badeh also said families of the victims would be offered support.
“With the Family Assistance Programme mandated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), we provide emotional support, psychological support as well as update them as we go on with the investigation”.