The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has released its detailed preliminary findings on the air crash involving a Sikorsky SK76 helicopter with registration 5N BQG with two crew members and six passengers onboard.
The helicopter, operated by Eastwind Aviation Logistics Services Limited, crashed on October 24, 2024 off the coast of Bonny Finima in the Atlantic Ocean.
The aircraft had left the Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) and was heading to the NUIM ANTAN, a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility when it lost contact with air traffic controllers.
The Director General of NSIB, Alex Badeh Jnr., during a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, disclosed that the helicopter was not fitted with a Flight Data Recorder (FDR) as required by regulations.
This is contrary to the Bureau’s position in a statement it had released on November 8, 2024 informing the public that its team in collaboration with other agencies had recovered the helicopter’s FDR.
The statement, titled: “SIKORSKY SK76 HELICOPTER (5N BQG) ACCIDENT: BLACK BOX RECOVERED, AS SEARCH CONTINUES FOR THREE MISSING” was e-signed by the Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance of the bureau, Mrs Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji.
Part of the statement at the time partly read: “The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), in conjunction with the Search and Recovery partners NNPC, NIMASA, the Nigerian Navy, and HydroDive, has recovered the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) from the Sikorsky SK76 helicopter, registration 5N BQG, which ditched in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Bonny Finima on October 24, 2024”.
“The FDR and CVR, commonly referred to as the aircraft’s “black box,” was retrieved early this morning. This device is crucial in helping investigators analyse flight performance and cockpit communications to determine the sequence of events leading up to the accident.
“The recovered recorder has been secured for transport to NSIB’s data analysis lab. It will undergo data extraction and analysis by NSIB’s specialists to gain insights into the operational and technical conditions preceding the accident and to help determine the cause of the accident”.
According to part 7.8.2.2(q) of Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) 2023, FDR shall be fitted on the helicopter.
Badeh, however, noted that the helicopter was fitted with a solid-state cockpit voice recorder, adding that the crew were certified to conduct the flight.
The DG also revealed that the helicopter Radio Altimeter (Radalt) was snagged and deferred on October 18, 2024, six days before the accident.
His words: “The flight crew were certified to conduct the flight. At the initial stage of the flight, the Captain was the Pilot Flying while the First Officer was the Pilot Monitoring. The helicopter had a valid Certificate of Airworthiness. A Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight plan was filed.
“The helicopter was not fitted with a Flight Data Recorder (FDR), 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. 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.”
Badeh explained further that the occurrence was not survivable as the 26-year-old helicopter which was built in 1998, disintegrated upon impact with the water surface and its various parts scattered and sank to a depth of about 42 meters.
He reiterated that the bodies of five passengers had been recovered, while that of the two crew members and one passenger remain missing.
The NSIB, as part of its immediate safety recommendations has tasked the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure strict compliance to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) 2023 part 7.8.2.2(q) which requires that all helicopters with a maximum takeoff mass over 3175kg and up to 7000kg to be fitted with a FDR.
The bureau also released six other final incidents and accidents reports and gave necessary recommendations.
