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Reports on Bristow Helicopters, AOS crashes also
By Louis Ibah
The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has declared conclusion of investigations on the cause of the June 3, 2012 Dana Air crash that killed 163 persons at Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos.
It revealed that the report is on its way to the Presidency, after which it will be made public.
Revealing this in Lagos yesterday, at a forum organised by the Aviation Round Table (ART), Commissioner/CEO of AIB, Mr. Akin Olateru, said apart from the Dana Air crash report, the AIB had also concluded investigations on the two crashes involving Bristow Helicopters as well as the AOS Helicopters.
The three reports, he said, would also be forwarded to the Presidency before being released to the public.
Daily Sun gathered that the final reports of the air accidents are considered as sensitive documents that must first be submitted to the Presidency for approval before letting it out to the public. The final report gives a detail cause of what could have led to the air crashes and it gives such details as to whether it was a mechanical or electrical fault, human error on the part of the pilots or ground engineers, lapses on the part of the regulatory agencies, missile attacks, or another form of sabotage.
Said Olateru: “Four reports involving Dana Air, Bristow Helicopters and AOS Helicopters have been concluded and they are on their way to the Presidency.
“By next week, I assure we will make the four reports official to public. We had 37 accident reports pending at the AIB, but before the end of this year, we will release a minimum of 10 accidents reports to the public.”
The first of the two Bristow Helicopters crashes occurred on August 13, 2015 at the Oworonshoki Area of the Third Mainland Bridge, with six deaths, while six others sustained serious injuries. The second helicopter, which also crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, was coming from an offshore platform, but without fatalities.
Also, the AOS helicopters crash occurred on July 29, 2011 between Ife and Ogbomosho.
Olateru, however, decried a situation where the AIB does not have any emergency code number that the public could contact, in case of an accident.
“We don’t have a control room in AIB. Once it is 4 to 5pm, the company shuts down and I try to remind them that accidents in most times occur in the evening and on weekends. So, we must have a functional control room, radio, and monitor things that are going on. Even the police don’t know what to do at an accident crash site. And I am meeting with the Assistant Inspector General of Police in-charge of Zone 2,” he added.
