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Josephat Eze
It is not for nothing that nations all over the world, particularly the developed economies are annually investing massive funds in building the requisite human and technological capacity to unravel the cause(s) of air disasters or what appears to be a near-crash incidences that take place in their clime.
As a former Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Angus Ozoka knows this very well: a country seeking to unlock it’s dormant aviation sector potential as well as to play effectively in the global market must be too willing to float and fund a functional Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).
I was privilege to listen to Angus Ozoka recently in Lagos as he explained that the inferences drawn from accident investigations (often referred to as safety recommendation) provide the most critical information required in preventing the occurrence or re-occurrence of similar air accidents, irrespective of where the accident took place.
Ozoka was reacting to the publications in the media titled, “Air Peace Concealed Major Aircraft Incidents from Us – AIB,” which was a press release by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) of Nigeria to the world, that the Nigerian airline did not report what it considered as ‘a near-crash’ incident to the Nigerian AIB. In retrospect, the AIB report stated that on June 5, 2019, it received a notification about a serious incident involving a Boeing 737-300 aircraft with Registration Marks 5N-BUK, belonging to Air Peace Limited from a passenger onboard the flight. The incident occurred on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, while the aircraft was on approach to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos from Port Harcourt. The aircraft experienced a hard landing as it touched down on the runway (18R) at the MMA.
The AIB said when it later visited the aircraft for inspection, it found out that the nature of the damage on the aircraft during that landing suggested that, there was a high probability of an accident as captured in the definition of ‘serious incidents’ in Civil Aviation regulations. The AIB also accused Air Peace of a cover-up by failing to officially report the incident to the AIB for investigations, after lodging a Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR) with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
This publication appear to have generated so much controversy between Air Peace and the AIB, particularly with the airline alleging that the target was to paint a picture that it’s operations were unsafe and to scare away it’s customers. And any passenger familiar with the history of air crashes in Nigeria has sufficient cause to fear.
But Ozoka who hosted the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) team that audited the Nigerian aviation industry as pioneer Commissioner/CEO of the AIB in 2007, while acknowledging that accident investigation is a painstaking and tough job to undertake, said the procedure and processes adopted by investigative agencies are issues that are not exposed to media propaganda.
Said Ozoka, “after carefully reading the article and as a concerned Nigerian, I have the following observations and comments on the matter. The damage assessment by AIB did not reveal that an accident or serious incident occurred as hard landing does not equate to an accident or serious incident. “According to AIB, the nature of the damage suggests a high probability of an accident, but it is difficult to see how such a conclusion can be reached when a thorough investigation was yet not carried out“Accident investigation is a pain-staking research work, which follows a whole process involving the gathering and analysis of information, the drawing of conclusions after determination of cause(s), and making safety recommendations,” Ozoka added. I believe that there is every reason for persons who are quick to make judgements from a one-sided report to be humble enough to hear what Ozoka who was also a former Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria said in respect of the steps taken by Air Peace after the said incident.
“The operating aircraft (a Boeing 737-300 with registration 5N-BUK) was kept on ground awaiting hard landing inspection; the aircraft was not put back into operation and it is not operating at the moment and so; it is difficult to see what wrong Air Peace has committed,” said Ozoka. “If, according to Air Peace, a Mandatory Occurrence Report (MOR) was filed with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority in writing on May 17, 2019 after a notification was made on May 16, 2019 i.e. within two days of the incidents; the NCAA should confirm whether this assertion is true, and if so confirmed, Air Peace has done no wrong. “If, by chance, Air Peace, which is unarguably the leading airline in Nigeria lacks full understanding of AIB’s mandates etc, then the AIB should take appropriate action to brief and educate all airlines in the country on such requirements for the wellbeing of the sector as AIB plays a critical role in aviation safety. Nothing stops the AIB from charging a fee for their services as it is within their purview to do so,” he said.
Detailing on International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13,which deals with accident investigation, Ozoka said, ‘Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation’ does not provide for the type of press release made by AIB and published by the media in which an airline is blamed and castigated even when no accident occurred and no investigation has been carried out to reveal the cause(s) and recommend measures to prevent future re-occurrence.
It is therefore possible that the AIB had other reasons for the allegation of wrong doing against Air Peace but this has not been demonstrated and unfortunately, the whole world has read the publication. In my very candid opinion, and deriving from the information by AIB in the publication, neither ICAO nor NCAA rules and regulations were breached by Air Peace and it is not clear which aspects of AIB’s mandate and procedures, which should be in alignment with ICAO Annex 13 were breached.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organisation Annexe 13, the sole objective of the investigation of an air accident or incident shall be for the prevention of accident and incidents. It is not the purpose of this activity to apportion blame or liability.
Most of the issues in the publication are under the purview of the NCAA and it is believed that they are alive to their responsibilities, as the blame did not originate from them. Certainly, NCAA will not make such press releases because the Agency understands the industry and does not need to shout to lead.
We should be mindful of what we publish for the whole world to see so as not to be looked down upon and so that the competence of our professionals is not in doubt. In this way, no bias will be imputed. That publication is certainly not in the best interest of Nigeria. This type of press release is unknown to aviation.
Eze writes from Lagos
