THE Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) is investigating an aircraft crash in the Oba Akran area of Ikeja, Lagos on Tuesday, August 1.
The accident, which involved a Jabiru J430, a light single airplane with Nationality and Registration Marks 5N-CCQ operated by Air First Hospitality & Tours, occurred about 3:00 pm on August 1. Two occupants on board the aircraft survived.
In a statement on Wednesday, August 2, the NSIB spokesperson, Tunji Oketunbi, urged members of the public to assist the agency with relevant information.
“The NSIB, hereby, solicits information from the general public in form of pictures, video or recording evidences to assist in conducting a comprehensive investigation.”
He noted that the aircraft was on a test flight with two passengers onboard, before it crashed.
“The aircraft caught fire on impact but the spread was contained by the rainfall at the time of impact,” Oketunbi said.
The ICIR had reported that the director, public affairs and consumer protection, Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN), Abdullahi Yakubu-Funtua, confirmed the incident and disclosed that the two passengers involved were receiving medical attention.
There have been incidents of helicopter crashes in Lagos State and other parts of the country, The ICIR can report.
In August 2020, a helicopter crashed into a building in Opebi, Ikeja, leaving two persons dead. In a recent report, the ICIR chronicled 14 aircraft crashes that took the lives of 35 people during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking with The ICIR in a phone conversation, the NSIB spokesperson promised that the outcome of the investigation would be made known to the public. But he did not give a timeline on when it would be concluded.
“It is difficult to say because one accident is different from the other. It depends on how quickly we are able to resolve issues concerning the incident.
“It may not be more than six months. But the global average is about 18 months,” he said.
The NSIB is a multimodal investigation agency charged with the mandate to investigate transportation accidents and serious incidents in Nigeria with the aim of identifying the probable causes and proffer safety recommendations that can prevent reoccurrence.
NOTE: Helicopter in the headline was changed to Aircraft.