Crashed helicopter flying NNPC officials violated regulations — FG

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has revealed that several violations of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NCAR) led to the crash of a Sikorsky SK76 helicopter operated by East Aviation, which occurred in Port Harcourt in October. The helicopter, contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar, on October 24, with six passengers and two crew members aboard.

The NSIB confirmed that five of the eight victims’ bodies have been recovered, while three remain missing. Although the bureau did not directly link these violations to the cause of the crash, the findings highlighted gaps in regulatory oversight.

The Director-General of NSIB, Alex Badeh, revealed on Tuesday that the helicopter was not fitted with a Flight Data Recorder (FDR), a breach of Part 7.8.2.2(q) of the NCARs 2023.

“The helicopter was fitted with a solid-state cockpit voice recorder but lacked a Flight Data Recorder, as required by the regulations,” Badeh stated. He added that the crew members also used non-standard phraseology throughout the flight.

Other preliminary findings indicated that no standard callouts were made during various flight phases, and the helicopter’s Radio Altimeter had been deferred just six days before the crash. Additionally, no dew point data was provided in the weather information passed to the helicopter on the day of the incident.

Badeh explained that investigators believe the helicopter was struggling to maintain balance before crashing, and the last recorded sound from the cockpit voice recorder was an aural warning, “Bank angle, Bank angle,” followed by smoke from the engine before the aircraft plunged into the water.

The NSIB called on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure strict compliance with NCARs 2023, particularly regarding the mandatory installation of Flight Data Recorders on helicopters with a maximum take-off mass of over 3,175 kg and up to 7,000 kg.