The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) yesterday released four investigative reports on accident and other critical incidents. one of the reports involves an accident that happened twelve years ago, involving a Chanchangi Boeing 737-200 aircraft at the Port Harcourt Airport Omagwa.
The other three reports includes a Nigerian College of Aviation Technology ( NCAT) Tampico TB-9 aircraft with registration 5N-CBJ, a Beechcraft aircraft with registration N564UZ belonging to Shoreline and a Veteran Aviation Airline EK-74798 at the NNAMDI Azikiwe International Airport.
The AIB Commissioner, Engineer Akin Olateru who released the accident reports Yesterday said that the AIB has issued nine(9) safety recommendations to improve the system and provide crucial intervention with the aim of forestalling future occurrence.
According to him, the Chanchangi accident involving a 737-200 with registration 5N- BIG which occurred 14th July, 2008 had no safety recommendations and the Nigeria CAR 2009 and revision in 2015, which address in the areas of shortcomings identified in the investigation.
He said,” There is no excuse to keep a report for seven (7) years or more. As we speak Chanchangi is gone and so if we released a safety recommendation it will be an open item, this is why there has to be speed in the release of accident reports.
“I cannot speak for my predecessors all I can say is there were a lot of challenges with workforce and procedures and so with the help for the National Assembly and the Minister of Aviation, we have been able to temporarily solve some of these problems.
On the accident involving the Tampico TB-9 aircraft operated by Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria, with nationality and registration marks 5N-CBJ, the Student Pilot (SP), was the only person on board and was scheduled to perform five take-offs and landings using the 180° glide manoeuvre.
According to the report: ‘At 09:32 h, during the first circuit, the aircraft touched down on RWY 23 at about 121 m from the threshold and veered off to the left, exiting the RWY at 184 m from the threshold into the waterlogged grass area. The aircraft came to a final stop at a perpendicular distance of 73 m from the RWY centreline. The SP exited the aircraft without injury’.
The accident had a Safety Recommendation 2020-022, stating that
the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology should ensure that where there are gaps in student pilots’ training, Policies and Procedures should be put in place in the training programme so that the students are brought up to speed in both theory and practice.
On the Beechcraft C90 aircraft with nationality and registration marks N364UZ, operated by Shoreline Energy International Limited (SEIL), the aircraft crashed on a farm-land and was engulfed in flames with the two occupants fatally injured.
The fourth report is that of the accident involving a Boeing 747-200 Aircraft operated by Veteran Avia Airlines Limited with nationality and registration marks EK-74798, which occurred at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on 4th December, 2013.
According to Engr. Akin Olateru, AIB commissioner, there were 47 persons on board the Chanchangi aircraft (41 passengers, 2 flight crew and 4 flight attendants) and 3 hours fuel endurance.
He added that all occupants on board were evacuated with one passenger sustaining a minor injury.
He said one of the causal factors was the decision to land following an unstabilized approach (high rate of descent and high approach speed), where a go-around was not initiated.
He added that some contributory factors were the deteriorating weather conditions with a line squall which prevented a diversion to the alternates.
The runway, he said was wet with significant patches of standing water.
The AIB discovered a non adherence to approved storage procedure as well as approved from return from storage procedure as well as inadequate regulatory oversight on flight operations and maintenance of foreign registered aircraft in Nigeria.
AIB gave four safety recommendations , three to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN) and one to Veteran Avia was issued by the Bureau.
Also recommended that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority NCAA should liaise with the Old Kaduna (Military) Airport authorities to ensure that an Airport Emergency Plan (AEP) is developed and maintained in line with Nig.CARs Part 12 (Aerodrome Regulations).