Nigeria, US, France to investigate crashed S76C helicopter – Keyamo
Agency Report
The Federal Government has said United States of America (USA) and France are collaborating to ensure engines of crashed helicopter which occurred on the 24th of October 2024, and related components will be thoroughly examined at wreckage hangar in Abuja after being subjected to a teardown exercise.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace and Development, Festus Keyamo while briefing newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja on the crashed S76c helicopter into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima in Port Harcourt with registration 5N-BQG operated by Eastwind Aviation said the United States of America, as the State of Design and Manufacture of the helicopter, appointed an National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator as the Accredited Representative, assisted by a Technical Adviser nominated by Sikorsky Aircraft while France, as the State of Design and Manufacture of the engines, appointed an Accredited Representative, assisted by a Technical Adviser from SAFRAN, the engine manufacturer.
He said they will publish the Preliminary Report on the NSIB website within 30 days adding that it takes up to a year or more to develop the Final Report and possible safety recommendations.
Keyamo said additionally, the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) family assistance department in collaboration with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) will be working with the bereaved family members to bring them some comfort in this difficult time.
“Our objective is to conduct a thorough investigation using available techniques to find a safety issue and recommend a safety change to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again
“We will examine the roles of man, machine, and the environment that might have directly or indirectly contributed to this accident.
“In the process, we will review the certified maintenance documents of the crashed helicopter and the crew’s training and medical records. We have received full cooperation from the operator, NCAA, NAMA, and NiMet.
He further explained that on Saturday, 9 November, the wreckage departed the collection site on a ferry. It arrived at Onne Port on the evening of Sunday, 10 November.
“After completing the formalities at the port, the wreckage was loaded on the low bed truck on Monday, 11 November and is on its way to Abuja. Our specialists picked the flight recorder and brought it Abuja last night (Tuesday 12 November 2024). The process intricate process of readout of the recordings will begin immediately,” he said.
