FG to release probe report on Rivers helicopter crash in 30 days — Keyamo

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said that the federal government will make public within 30 days the probe report on the helicopter that crashed in Rivers State.

Keyamo disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday during a press briefing with journalists alongside the heads of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

“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,” he said.

He said France and the United States of America (U.S.A.) are collaborating with the Federal Government for a comprehensive investigation into the ill-fated helicopter that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean last month.

The minister said the US would join in the investigation of the ill-fated aircraft after the engine was subjected to a teardown exercise.

He disclosed that the US, being the state of design and manufacture of the helicopter, appointed an investigator as the Credited Representative, assisted by a Technical Adviser nominated by Sikorsky Aircraft.

Keyamo said that the NSIB’s family assistance department, in collaboration with the NCAA and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) would be working with the bereaved families to give them some comfort.

He said, “Our objective is to conduct a thorough investigation using available techniques to find a safety issue and recommend a safety change to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.

“At midnight on October 31, 2024, the wreckage of the helicopter was finally located at a depth of 42 metres. Although scattered, major parts and components of the helicopter, except for the flight recorder, known as the black box, were recovered.”

The search and recovery effort, The Guardian gathered, continued until the flight recorder was found on Friday, November 8, 2024. The minister stated that the search and recovery operation took 14 days.

“We have tried to also provide the flight recorder for you. It is going straight to the lab, but we thought that you should also have a view of the flight recorder that was recovered.

“The recovered black box is going to the laboratory for analysis. The NSIB must take possession of the wreckage, so it’s actually on its way to Abuja,” Keyamo disclosed.

He said the helicopter engines and related components would be thoroughly examined at the wreckage facility.