ONE year and five months after a chopper conveying Vice President Yemi Osinbajo crash-landed in Kabba, Kogi State, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) on Tuesday released its final report on the incident.
In the report released by Engineer Akin Olateru, AIB Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Bureau blamed the incident on a misjudgment of distance by the crew members, inappropriate landing techniques and non-adherence to the landing process.
Olateru in the report also said indicted the helicopter operator, Caverton Helicopters for failing to conduct a risk assessment of the landing preparedness.
The Agusta Westland 139 chopper with registration number 5N-CML carrying Osinbajo alongside 11 others including the crew members had crash-landed at Kabba stadium where the Vice President was scheduled to flag off the distribution of traders’ money to market women in Kogi State.
After the accident, Caverton Helicopters, had blamed “unusual weather conditions”, on the incident, according to a statement.
The commissioner said the helicopter crew had initially sighted the football field before losing visual contact with the ground and the external surrounding.
The report stated that at 1:43 p.m, the helicopter experienced a hard landing on the right main landing gear and rolled over and the occupants were evacuated without injuries.
However, the Commissioner said 11 days after the crash, the bureau issued two interim safety recommendations to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Caverton.
The other three reports were two incidents involving Ilorin Aviation College at the Ilorin International Airport and Aero Contractor Port Harcourt- Lagos flight which experienced smoke on board.
Amos Abba is a journalist with the International Center for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, who believes that courageous investigative reporting is the key to social justice and accountability in the society.