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 of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, during a briefing alongside the Director General of Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), said the U.S. would join in the investigation of the ill-fated aircraft after the engine was subjected to a teardown exercise.
 
He disclosed that the U.S., 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.
 
Preliminary report of the crash, according to him, will be published on the NSIB website within 30 days, adding that it takes up to a year or more to develop the final report and possible safety recommendations.
 
Keyamo said that NSIB’s family assistance department, in collaboration with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (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. 
 
The minister reassured that the search for the bodies of the remaining three of the eight victims would continue. Director General of NSIB, Capt. Alex Badeh Jr said the findings of the investigation would be made public, noting that it was too early to presume the possible cause of the accident. He said neighbouring countries had been notified, especially as one of the bodies was found in Cameroon.
 
While giving details of the findings, Badeh said: “The ill-fated helicopter crashed about 1.4 kilometres from its destination on the NNPCL Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) vessel, Nuim Antan. As soon as the area of the crash was identified, the Nigerian Air Force conveyed our Go-Team to Port Harcourt, from where the team was transported to the Nuim Antan vessel on a Nigerian Navy Agusta Westland (AW109) helicopter on the same day of the accident.
 
“Meanwhile, a search and rescue team was activated, and a team comprising NNPCL, Nigerian Navy, NSIB, Hydro Dive, NIMASA and the ships sailed around the vicinity of the accident site. Underwater recovery of victims and wreckage is a significant project that requires careful planning and provision of technology, expertise and substantial financial resources to support the operation.”
 
Over 60 personnel were reportedly mobilised to the site, including professional divers and other technical experts.