Charles Ajunwa who visited one of the deadliest air crash sites in Lagos recently, writes that the Senate's decision to ensure strict compliance with air travel regulations will help to avert future air accidents in the country
Air travel remains the quickest and safest means of transportation all over the world. Those who invested in the air travel business today are smiling to the banks as the sector continues to boom, but air travel business is not without its risks and challenges. Nigeria is not insulated from this, as it has in the past witnessed awful experiences with over 2,000 lives estimated to have been lost to air crashes in the last 40 years. This has raised a lot of concerns among Nigerians.
Air travel remains the quickest and safest means of transportation all over the world. Those who invested in the air travel business today are smiling to the banks as the sector continues to boom, but air travel business is not without its risks and challenges. Nigeria is not insulated from this, as it has in the past witnessed awful experiences with over 2,000 lives estimated to have been lost to air crashes in the last 40 years. This has raised a lot of concerns among Nigerians.
Recently, Senator Theodore Orji representing Abia Central senatorial district in National Assembly, expressed concern over the trauma many families were forced to go through whenever there is plane crash in the country.
In a motion of national interest moved by Orji on the floor of the Senate, he said that the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), is yet to publish the reports of past air crashes in the country.
He cited examples of Belleview Airline Crash of 2005, the Sosoliso Airline crash of 2005, the Aviation Development Corporation Airline crash of 2006 and the Dana Air crash of 2012.
“The publication of air accident investigation report will do no harm to anybody, but will only enable pilots, engineers to learn from past mistakes and help members of the public to be informed on how to be vigilant as to developments that could endanger their safety.
“The international standard practice all over the world is to publish accident investigations reports in form of a book to enable pilots, engineers and the general public know the cause of the air accident to guard against and prevent future occurrences.
“The publication of air accident investigation report will do no harm to anybody, but will only enable pilots, engineers to learn from past mistakes and help members of the public to be informed on how to be vigilant as to developments that could endanger their safety.
“The international standard practice all over the world is to publish accident investigations reports in form of a book to enable pilots, engineers and the general public know the cause of the air accident to guard against and prevent future occurrences.
“For example in Miami, Florida USA, a $60 million Boeing 747 aircraft crashed in 2001, when it made a turnaround in the ocean and the accident investigation report later revealed the cause of the crash to be that the engineers at base forgot to put the oil seal in the four engines of the aircraft,” Orji said.
On the strength of Orji’s well-thought-out motion and further inputs made by other senators, the Senate directed its Committee on Aviation to holistically investigate the reason(s) behind the non-publication of the reports on air crashes by the Accident Investigation Bureau.
On the strength of Orji’s well-thought-out motion and further inputs made by other senators, the Senate directed its Committee on Aviation to holistically investigate the reason(s) behind the non-publication of the reports on air crashes by the Accident Investigation Bureau.
Reacting to the Senate decision to investigate its activities, AIB Head, Public Affairs, Tunji Oketunbi, faulted the Senate claim that the bureau is keeping the reports of investigation into air crashes in the country from the public. He maintained that the reports on air crashes in the country have been published in newspapers and also posted on its website.
Giving further detail on what the bureau has done to ensure that regulations are complied with by the operators, Oketunbi while addressing journalists in Lagos, disclosed that over 63 per cent of the bureau’s safety recommendations have been closed in the past 15 years while 14 others are partially closed;
The AIB spokesman said since year 2000, the bureau had made 158 safety recommendations arising from major incidents and accidents in the sector, adding that 63 per cent of these had been complied with by affected parties, players in the sector and closed while 14 per cent were partially closed, adding that additional 23 per cent of its safety recommendations remained opened and yet to be closed.
“Right now, a lot of safety recommendations have been implemented. There are still some that are open while others have been partially implemented. Since 2000, we have issued 158 safety recommendations and 63 per cent of them have been closed, 14 per cent partially closed and 23 per cent still open,” Oketunbi said.
According to Oketunbi, a Ministerial Committee set up by the immediate past Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka in 2014 also in its recommendations disclosed that no fewer than 100 of its safety recommendations had been closed with 36 open gaps and 22 partially closed.
When THISDAY visited the Dana Air crash site at Iju-Ishaga last week, tucked away in a serene and densely populated area, dead silence enveloped the entire vicinity. Even though houses surrounded the air crash site, all the adjoining streets- Adebayo, Olaniyi, Idu Williams and a nearby railway crossing looked deserted.
The crash site which looked well kept have two locked gates securing the place from unwanted intruders, a massive cenotaph where the names of all the passengers and crew were engraved on a black marble and a sculptural piece of Dana aircraft marked with a deep crack around the cockpit sitting majestically on a high concrete platform.
One Michael Banu, a commercial motor cyclist who witnessed the plane crash, told THISDAY that he is still having sleepless night over the incident. “I was shocked by what I saw, people who gathered at the scene of the accident were unable to render any assistance on that fateful day because of fire that engulfed the place,” Banu said.
Alluding to what might have caused the plane to crash, Banu said, “The accident was caused by corruption. Corruption has killed many innocent people in this country. I support President Buhari’s fight against corruption, if he gets it right, the whole country will enjoy.”
It would be recalled that a Boeing MD-83 aircraft, Registration 5N-RAM on a domestic scheduled commercial flight operated by Dana Airlines as (DANACO 0992), crashed into a furniture works and printing press building at Iju-Ishaga on June 3, 2012, killing all the 153 passengers including six crew members and another six persons on the ground.
The Accident Investigation Bureau in its third and interim report on the ill-fated Dana aircraft, said the accident occurred following a loss of power on both engines of the airplane while it was approaching Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos.
The federal government came down heavily on the management of Dana Air by seizing the operating license and suspending its operations. It also constituted a nine-man technical and administrative panel to audit all airlines operating in the country, in addition to setting up a Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee to investigate the accident. However, on September 5, 2012 the suspension on Dana Air’s operating license was lifted.
The Dana Air crash has been described as the second-deadliest aircraft crash on Nigerian soil after Kano air crash on January 22, 1973 involving a chartered Boeing 707 passenger flight which crashed while attempting to land at Kano International Air. All the 176 passengers and crew perished in the crash.
Many observers believe that the Senate’s decision to ensure strict compliance with air travel regulations will help to avert future air crashes in the country. They also implored the Senate and House of Representatives to urgently tackle the problems of poor infrastructure at Nigerian airports (international and local), as this according to them, gives the country a bad name.
The Accident Investigation Bureau in its third and interim report on the ill-fated Dana aircraft, said the accident occurred following a loss of power on both engines of the airplane while it was approaching Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos.
The federal government came down heavily on the management of Dana Air by seizing the operating license and suspending its operations. It also constituted a nine-man technical and administrative panel to audit all airlines operating in the country, in addition to setting up a Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee to investigate the accident. However, on September 5, 2012 the suspension on Dana Air’s operating license was lifted.
The Dana Air crash has been described as the second-deadliest aircraft crash on Nigerian soil after Kano air crash on January 22, 1973 involving a chartered Boeing 707 passenger flight which crashed while attempting to land at Kano International Air. All the 176 passengers and crew perished in the crash.
Many observers believe that the Senate’s decision to ensure strict compliance with air travel regulations will help to avert future air crashes in the country. They also implored the Senate and House of Representatives to urgently tackle the problems of poor infrastructure at Nigerian airports (international and local), as this according to them, gives the country a bad name.
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