The Director General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Capt. Alex Badeh Jnr, has released the preliminary report on the helicopter crash involving a Sikorsky SK76 with registration 5N-BQG, operated by East Wind Aviation confirming that two crew members and one passenger are yet to be found.
Capt. Badeh Jnr, disclosed this during a press conference and stakeholders’ engagement held at the NSIB headquarters in Abuja, where six final incident reports and one preliminary report were presented.
Badeh, while, providing details on the October 24 crash stated that the helicopter had a valid Certificate of Airworthiness and was equipped with a solid-state Cockpit Voice Recorder.
However, it was not fitted with a Flight Data Recorder, which contravenes NCAA regulations.
The other final reports presented include: a serious incident involving a Beech Baron 58 aircraft operated by the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, an accident involving a Bell 429 helicopter operated by the Nigeria Police Air Wing, a ground collision involving a Max Air EMB-135BJ with registration 5N-BXK and a parked ATR 42 aircraft operated by the Nigerian Air Force.
Releasing the Sikorsky crash report, Badeh, in the findings of the investigating team cited how a person on duty at NUIM Antan reported to the Helicopter Landing Officer (HLO) that he saw a helicopter from the western route with thick smoke emanating from the engine ditch into the water.
According to the findings, “The personnel stated that the helicopter appeared to be struggling to gain balance right before it crashed into the ocean.
“The HLO reported calling 5N-BQG via radio three times, but there was no response, so they immediately made a PAN PAN call. Search and rescue operation was activated involving combined efforts by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), HD PIONEER Hydro Drive, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and several ships that were sailing around the vicinity of the accident site.”
According to the NSIB report,the ill-fated helicopter Radio Altimeter was snagged and deferred on October 18th when the same helicopter finally crashed on October 24, 2024.
This preliminary report provides details of the initial facts, discussions, and findings surrounding the occurrence. It includes information gathered from witness statements.
The report reads, “On 24 October 2024, a Sikorsky S76C+ Helicopter with nationality and registration marks 5N-BQG operated by Eastwind Aviation Logistics Services Limited was on a drop-off and pick-up operation of oil workers to NUIM Antan, a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility located near the Bight of Bonny in the Atlantic Ocean.”
The report also disclosed that the helicopter was not fitted with a Flight Data Recorder (FDR) as against the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023 Part 7.8.2.2(q) which requires all helicopters with a maximum take-off mass of over 3, 175kg and up to 7,000kg to be fitted with an FDR.
The report also showed the medical certificate to be valid till 30 June 2025 while the simulator is valid till 18 April 2025 just as the instrument rating is valid till 18 April 2025 and the proficiency check till 11 January 2026.
The report said Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) was recovered from the seabed at the accident site on 8 November 2024, the 13th day after the accident.
It added, “Upon recovery, the CVR was immersed in fresh water in a container and transported to the flight recorder laboratory of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States of America for readout and analysis. The last 31 minutes of the CVR recording were successfully downloaded.”
The report also revealed that while approaching the crash area, fuel was observed on the surface water, while helicopter debris and some personal belongings of the flight crew and passengers were scattered all over the area.
The East Wind Aviation helicopter, with Registration Number 5NBQG, reportedly took off from Port Harcourt NAF Base en route to the FPSO – NUIMS Antan.
The name of the workers are Tamunoemi Suku, Alu Lawrence, Etim Emmanuel, Kenneth Chikwem, Frank Oriamre, and Borris Ndorbo. The pilot was identified as Captain Yakubu Dukas.
