The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has revealed that the handlers of a Sikorsky SK76 helicopter operated by East Aviation violated many Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NCAR) directions, just two months after it crashed in Port Harcourt.
Although the bureau was silent on whether the vices contributed to the regrettable tragedy, the act reveals weaknesses in the NCAR’s regulatory obligations.
On October 24, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)-contracted helicopter crashed in the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar, killing six passengers and two crew members.
Five of the eight victims’ bodies have been retrieved, with the remaining three yet to be found.
While reeling out the preliminary findings of the bureau on the accident, the Director-General of the NSIB, Alex Badeh, told journalists in Abuja on Tuesday that the crashed helicopter was not fitted with a Flight Data Recorder, a violation of Part 7.8.2.2(q) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) Act 2023.
Badeh further stated that the helicopter crew utilised non-standard phraseology during the ride.
The bureau’s preliminary findings contained the following information: “The helicopter was fitted with a solid-state cockpit voice recorder; the helicopter was not fitted with a flight data recorder; although Part 7.8.2.2(q) of Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) 2023 requires that FDR shall be fitted on the helicopter; the flight crew used non-standard phraseology throughout the flight.”
In addition, the report states: “There were no standard callouts for the various phases of the flight; the helicopter Radio Altimeter (Rad Alt) was snagged and deferred on October 18, 2024, six days before the accident; no dew point data was reported in the weather information passed to 5N-BQG on the day of the occurrence.” While discussing the circumstances of the disaster, Badeh stated that investigators discovered that it appeared to be “struggling to gain balance right before crashing into the ocean.”
He also mentioned that the crew’s battle was followed by an aural warning from the aircraft, “Bank angle, Bank angle,” which was the final recorded data on the Cockpit Voice Recorder, along with smoke issuing from the engine before it crashed into the lake.
The NSIB has also released a final report on the serious accidents involving a Beech Baron 58 aircraft operated by the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, with nationality and registration marks 5N-CAG, which occurred on runway 5 at General Hassan Usman Katsina International Airport, Kaduna, on December 31, 2022, as well as five additional incidents.
The NSIB, on the other hand, charged the NCAA with ensuring strict compliance with Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) 2023 part 7.8.2.2(q), which requires all helicopters with a maximum take-off mass greater than 3175 kg and less than 7000 kg to be equipped with a Flight Data Recorder.
