Rivers Helicopter Crash: FG To Release Probe Report In 30 Days

Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has stated that the preliminary report on the helicopter that crashed in Rivers State will be published in 30 days.

Keyamo stated this while briefing newsmen alongside the heads of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) in Abuja on Wednesday.

A Sikorsky SK76 helicopter operated by East Wind Aviation and contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, On October 24, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar.

The aircraft was carrying six passengers and two crew members.

Last week, NSIB confirmed the recovery of the helicopter’s black box, which includes both the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder.

Keyamo told reporters that the process of reading out the black box recordings has commenced.

He said the United States of America, as the state of design and manufacturer of the helicopter, has appointed an investigator as the credited representative, assisted by a technical adviser nominated by Sikorsky Aircraft.

He said France, as the state of design and manufacture of the engines, has also appointed an accredited representative, assisted by a technical adviser from SANFRA, to aid further investigations.

The minister said, “All things being equal, we will publish the preliminary report on the NSIB website within 30 days. Usually, it takes up to a year or more to develop the final and possible safety recommendations.”