15th August, 2015
The Accident Investigation Bureau announced today that the flight recorders, popularly known as black boxes, to the Sikorsky S76 C+ helicopter that crashed into the lagoon in Oworonshoki area of Lagos on Wednesday 12 August, 2015 have been recovered.
The Sikorsky 76 helicopter, marked 5N-BGD and operated by Bristow Helicopters was, according to a statement by Tunji Oketunbi, Head, Public Affairs, believed to have departed SEDCO oil platform offshore and crashed shortly before landing at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
The search party, led by Julius Berger with the assistance of hired divers, located the recorders, which are expected to assist the investigators in unraveling the cause of the accident in which four passengers and two crew members were fatally injured. Six other passengers are receiving treatment at a private hospital.
The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) contains data generated from different parts of the aircraft including the engines and the avionics while the Cockpit Voice Recorder will unveil conversations within the cockpit and between the pilots and the Control Tower. The biggest part of the wreckage of the ill-fated aircraft was recovered yesterday but without the black boxes. The search was resumed today.
According to AIB, investigation has extended to retrieving documents and other materials from Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the airline operator. Other information will be released to the public as they unfold in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules.