Wings Aviation Airplane Missing!

[ruma]

A kingair airplane belonging to wings Aviation a private airline based in Lagos left lagos this morning for Obudu airstrip and after four hours of her ETA is yet to land at the airstrip. The rescue helicopter was heard this afternoon going to Obudu from Abuja. From a reliable source, the 'skyhawk' based in Port Harcourt Naf Base is not serviceable to assist in the search. Three SOM, all crew were reported.

[JABAG]

rumor has hit the plane has been located. Not good News.:sad:

[126,7]

Type: Beechcraft 1900D
Operator: Wings Aviation
Registration: 5N-JAH
C/n / msn: UE-322
First flight: 1998
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67D
Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: 3
Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: 0
Total: Fatalities: / Occupants: 3
Airplane damage: Unknown
Location: within Nigeria (Nigeria)
Phase: En route
Nature: Ferry/positioning
Departure airport: Lagos-Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS/DNMM), Nigeria
Destination airport: Bebi Airstrip, Nigeria
Narrative:
The Beech 1900D airplane took off from Lagos at about 07.35 en route to Obudu. It was expected to arrive at Bebi Airstrip there at approximately 08:45. The aircraft contacted Enugu ATC at 07:54 and again at 8:04 am before contact was lost. It did not arrive at Beb Airstrip and was declared missing.


The above according to Aviation-safety.net

[Flightsimman]

That was very sad news that I heard today.

I was fortunate to have flown on "5N-JAH" a few times. She was a magnificent looking pristine machine.

God Bless all those lost and their families.

[BALEWA]

Where was the wreckage located and can someone PM the names of the crew members please.

Sad news indeed :sad:

May their souls rest in peace and my deepest condolence to their families and loved ones.

Balewa

[NIJASEA]

AMEN and our prayers and condolances to their families.

[LostAndFound]

This is very sad news. The FO was a good friend.

Any idea what the weather was like yesterday? reports still sketchy on the bodies recovered.

[skycaptain81]

wow this is really sad

[ruma]

Three other helicopters joined in the search early in the morning yesterday. Two from the Nigerian Maritime Authority(NMA) and another from Rivers state government till five pm. Later from a reliable source , the crash site was located. Sad news. May their souls rest in peace.

[DRPAM007]

The recent event (yet to verified as fatal ) has further highlighted the need for total radar coverage of the Nigerian airspace and regular and accurate weather reports and forecasts.
The minister claimed the wreckage has been located, followed four hours later by the NCAA refuting such claims
Apparently there is a conflict or failure in the information management process between the Nigeria Civil aviation authority (NCAA), the ministry of aviation and the air accident investigation branch. We have not yet gotten over the embarrassment caused by similar premature and erroneous public statements that preceded the Bellview accident of 2005. We had hoped to learn from the event, but apparently that was too much to hope for.
The normal scenario is that there should be co-ordinated communication protocols established between these offices and some sort of verification obtained before going to press.
Against logic, some of us have to hope the best for crew of the still missing aircraft.
Co-incidently, last week the Nigerian AIB led by Engr. Oduselu and Capt Usman met with Paul Dike ( Chief of Air staff ) and pledged joint co-operation in search, rescue and accident investigation. I have met all three on various occasions and I think Paul is a man of his words. Let's hope it's not all going to be just hot air and I hope the framework involves NEMA as well.
Unfortunately it takes a sad tragedy like this to put to test claims of the industry managers on their level of preparedness to meet the challenges of ensuring safety, and in the sad event of an accident, their ability to carry out prompt and efficient search, rescue and conclusive constructive investigations.

[Captain_djaffar]

:sad:that's very sad news.
Hope to get the report leading to the crash very soon.

[Flying Touareg]

There are reports that after all, the report that the missing plane has been found was false .THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE and calls for an investigation.:sad:

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=106226

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article05//indexn2_html?pdate=180308&ptitle=Controversy%20over%20missing%20plane

[PLTFORLIFE]

I find it quite appaulling that the DG NCAA and the Minister of State of Aviation have made misleading statements pertaining to the whereabouts of the ill fated Wings Aviation aircraft, taking into consideration the sensitivity of this issue. It is quite an embarassment for the country. If these are the kind of errornous statements being made before the investigation you can only start to imagine what the ensuing investigation will be like (a sham). We only seem to get the results of the investigations, if the conclusion is deemed pilot error. We are all still awaiting the investigation of Bellview 737 crash (missing blackbox syndrome :ugh:). And the so called search and rescue in Nigeria is none existant and I find it quite scary that even if you are fotunate enough to survive an accident, you will probaby die of your injuries while you wait for some unfortunate farmer to locate you because NEMA or whatever it is called will not find you. It is about time for Nigeria Aviation to wake up. And to my fallen collegues may your gentle souls rest in perfect peace and may the good Lord give their familes the strenght to bear this great loss at this time.

[AircraftCarrier]

To all out there,
I'm not sure who has connections to the Search and Rescue in Nigeria. I work here at the Australian Search and Rescue/COSPAS SARSAT Mission Control Centre and picked up the 406Mhz distress signal from possibly the aeroplane in question, twenty-two hours ago, precisely at 171100UTC. The beacon is still active as I can see on my screen here in Australia. I'm unsure at this stage if this detection is linked to this discussion. It's an ELT with HEX ID 2DC8381174FFBFF. The position is as follows; 04 19.3N 005 49.6E
Contact the company if the above HEX ID matches that of the missing aircraft. For those of us who deal with satellite derived positions, the accuracy could be within a radius of 5 nautical miles.
Please pass on as soon as possible. There could still be somebody alive, as the beacon is still very much sending out signals. Someone alive could have set it off! Let us forget the politics and save someone as soon as we can. I am bypassing protocols here as well.

[mademan112]

Please Pass Position Of Possible Crash Site
To all out there,
I'm not sure who has connections to the Search and Rescue in Nigeria. I work here at the Australian Search and Rescue/COSPAS SARSAT Mission Control Centre and picked up the 406Mhz distress signal from possibly the aeroplane in question, twenty-two hours ago, precisely at 171100UTC. The beacon is still active as I can see on my screen here in Australia. I'm unsure at this stage if this detection is linked to this discussion. It's an ELT with HEX ID 2DC8381174FFBFF. The position is as follows; 04 19.3N 005 49.6E
Contact the company if the above HEX ID matches that of the missing aircraft. For those of us who deal with satellite derived positions, the accuracy could be within a radius of 5 nautical miles.
Please pass on as soon as possible. There could still be somebody alive, as the beacon is still very much sending out signals. Someone alive could have set it off! Let us forget the politics and save someone as soon as we can. I am bypassing protocols here as well.
Last edited by AircraftCarrier : Today at 09:16. Reason: More Info

[Flightsimman]

Hey mate,

If those co-ordinates are correct than that aircraft was way off course or the original route has been misinterpreted.

I hope you are correct.

Surely other agencies are helping to trace the wreckage?

[DRPAM007]

Sincere thanks for the valuable location information “Aircraft carrier”. Sometimes it is inevitable that we break protocol. Nothing is more satisfying than saving of lives by our actions.

Having fruitlessly tried to pass the location information to the NAMA GM Search and rescue, the Lagos RCC and the Enugu sub-RCC, I had to call the NAMA MD personally (happens to be a classmate of mine). They were quite pleased with information and were in the process of liaising with NEMA as I write.

A few calls to my journalist friends in Nigeria confirmed that the search for the missing aircraft is still in earnest. It may surprise you to know that it was the African independent television (AIT) aviation desk news crew that located the crash site of the Bellview B737 in October 2005. Strange, but true. Not a good score for our search and rescue agency. Hopefully, we’ll see some improvement this time.

My sincere hope and concern now is that we find the missing crew alive. In the optimistic scenario that a successful emergency landing was executed in a remote and inaccessible location without serious/critical injuries, the chances of being rescued alive after 72 hours may appear slim, but nonetheless quite possible. We await the result of the search.

For anyone with interested in the Nigerian safety issues, here’s something that may be of interest. http://nigeriaaviationsafety.org/WHEN_SAFETY_COMES_LAST.html (http://nigeriaaviationsafety.org/WHEN_SAFETY_COMES_LAST.html).

Finally, it is heart warming to know that the synergic contributions of professionals in a forum like this, will enhance the safety of the environment we work and live in.
Thanks again to “Aircarftcarrier” and I’ll appreciate if you can contact me on [email protected] ([email protected]).

[AircraftCarrier]

I just got a call from Nigeria advising the HEX ID of the missing craft. It did not match the one we just detected. That we have found out is coming from an oil platform in the Niger Delta, possibly from a Helo. The signal has was not detected on the last satellite pass. So, the word could have gone around to the owners. We are still working on the HEX ID of the Aircraft in question. The details have just been made available to us.
From experience, it is not uncommon to find a distressed aircraft way off its planned flight path. On one rare incident, a KingAir flew past its destination without contacting the Air Traffic Control. Guess what happened when we intercepted it, both Pilots and passengers were all unconcious! There was nothing that could be done in the air, except follow them to where the auto-pilot took them to. Needless to say what the outcome was!
Another reported conducting an Instrument Approach in IMC conditions within the vicinity of the destination airport and disappeared. We found it way off the Instrument Approach path.
We dont take chances when it comes to Search And Rescue. We work with every bit of intelligence we can get.
I am very impressed how effective this forum is and the high level of concern people show towards helping one another.
Keep it up guys.

[mademan112]

pls i would like to know how long its takes to pick up a distress signal from an elt and what is the possibility that the airplane involved has the 406 transmitter unboard, as i know most airplanes are still fitted with the 121.5 and 243mhz elt in nigeria which can only trasmitt for48hrs
why is is that even at this point in time no ground equipment can pick up the signals if still active from the nigerian airpspace management agency, nema or the airforce i tink its just a big shame and very saddening to know we dont have simple emmergency equipments to help save lifes in nigeria and for how long are we going to continue to accept the no challent attitude of some these people involved its been a sad week so far for me regardess of the fact that i do not personally know any of the crew unboard that airplane but what i do know is
its could be my brother, my father or friend
from my training i also know by law nd standards in regards to the will and knowledge of survival someone might still be alive
i hope by the end of the day someone will come up with some concrete information on the precise location of the airplane in question

[jagunmolu]

No one really cares.Ours is a wasted generation, that never learns from ours or anybodys mistake,all we are interested in is MONEY.Dont be suprised the door has just opened for the agencies responsible for SAR to start thinking of purchase for new helos as this maybe one of the reasons why the SAR unit is not effective or hey the sleeping giant of Africa NO SAR.My heart bleeds for the families of the missing Airmen and for the rest of the gang that wake up each day to take to the skies above a snoring, tired and defeated giant.We must arise and fight against such sloppiness,ineptness and unprofessional attitude of the agencies that are paid with taxpayers money to ensure and regulate safety;who knows,whose turn it will be next to end up missing.Bluetail was on the missing list at the nations backyard for almost 48 hours.Lest i go on and on I WEEP:(:sad::sad::sad:

[DRPAM007]

Hello guys,
If this can help for those with the resources.
Just confirmed from the NCAA DG, The ELT HEX ID of the missing B1900 is:

2DC 84394ECFFBFF .

Any update will be appreciated.
Thanks again.

[AircraftCarrier]

Mademan112,
I share your concerns with passion and I am really pleased that members of this forum went out of their way to act in the most diligent manner to give this incident the rightful attention.
121.5Mhz beacons are going to be phased out, from memory, by February 2009. As we all know, they transmit analogue data which is no use when the distress beacon and the Local User Terminal (LUT) are not in the satellite’s footprint. This increases the time of detection as you will now have to wait for a satellite whose footprint will be appropriate. So, if the next one comes over without the desired footprint, no show again. Each low earth orbiting (LEO – 800~1000km above the earth surface) satellite takes about 90 minutes to complete one polar orbit, while the geo-stationary (GEO) ones remains at 36000km above the Equator and these, owing to their stationary nature, does not pick up 121.5MHz distress signals. As the whole calculation is Doppler based, the computation would require a minimum of two satellite passes to resolve the actual position. Each satellite pass gives you two possible positions. The ground station requires a LEO-LUT (low earth orbiting satellite local user terminal) to finalise the whole computation. Now this is where we Pilots can get a little technical and do what we can to help! If you have a spare radio, keep one tuned permanently to 121.5Mhz. When you fly over an area where a beacon is active, you will know from the very distinct sound you will get on your head set (a bit similar to that from the first man made satellite in space - SPUTNIK). Note the position when you pick up the signal and note the position when it fades off. Pass the info with your altitude to the Air Traffic control, which I think should pass it onto the ground fellows at the Search and Rescue Centre. With so many reports we can come up with several circles of position and narrow down the search area. See how we have turned our aircrafts into satellites! It should not be difficult to make this a recommendation or encourage the Airline Operators to have it as part of their operating procedure. After all, we are all watching each others back! Even the doctor at some point in life may require a doctor too! But we have to educate the Air Traffic Controllers too, so they know the importance of the information being passed on to them.
406mHz distress beacons have the ability to be resolved by one satellite pass. Even better if the beacon is GPS equipped (known as Location Protocol Equipped Beacons), as a precise location can be obtained via the geo-satellites. However, for this to be possible, the ground station monitoring distress beacon signals must have a GEO-LUT (geo-stationary satellite local user terminal). 406MHz beacons come with a hexadecimal code know as the HEX ID. If registered with a Search and Rescue organisation, the moment a signal is picked up, it transmits this code and we can immediately tell who is in distress. These distress beacons don’t have to be in the same footprint as the Local User Terminal like their 121.5MHz counterparts. If the distress beacon is not in view with the LUT at the same time, the satellite stores the data and transmits that data the moment it comes in view of another LUT. It is the responsibility of the guys working in that LUT to pass on that data via their NODAL MCC to the appropriate Search and Rescue Coordination Centre. One other advantage of the 406MHz distress beacon is they all have a low-powered 121.5MHz component, for homing purposes.
Here on my computer screen, I can see the symbol of a LUT situated right in Abuja. I have no clue on what goes on there, it may very well be in its infancy stages. But there is one thing I know for sure! And that is on quite a number of occasions, Nigeria sends one of the highest amount of delegates to the COSPAS SARSAT meetings overseas! Second only to the number of delegates sent by the United States! What they go out to do and what they take back remains another very interesting lecture I would really love to attend.

Best wishes

[DRPAM007]

(Excerps of a write up in oct 2006 in the aftermath of the ADC 053 accident in Abuja)

Nigeria": Search and rescue; emergency response.

To show how intransigent we are, we have consistently paid lip service to SAR (search and rescue). Our emergency response system has been put through its paces by the plethora of accidents/incidents and found severely wanting. Most of the rescue is usually carried out by the good hearted Nigerian villagers. Last May, the then minister claims to embark on a campaign to promote public awareness on safety search and rescue. We are still searching for the AIPB search and rescue website.
Evidence suggests that most of the fatalities on ADC 053 resulted from the fire preceding the crash. Had the emergency response been swift, more lives would have been saved.
A study conducted by the American National transportation safety board (NTSB) showed that out of the total number of fatalities recorded during aircraft crashes only 27% die on impact, 73% die because of late response time and poor rescue co-ordination.
The airplane’s aluminum skin may burn through in one minute, and in another two to three minutes the inside temperature reaches a lethal 1,800 F.
The total elapsed time from beginning of a fuel fire until conditions become fatal is three to four minutes. Therefore, airport fire fighting personnel must arrive at the accident within three minutes if they are to have any chance of rescuing and saving passengers and crew.

A case in point is the Beechcraft 200 crash at Kaduna airport on 28th November 2005. This anomaly is not localised to Nigeria alone. A few instances where late and poor response has resulted in more fatalities abound. For example, on 12th August 1985, 520 people died when a Boeing 747 crashed in Japan because rescuers did not get to the scene of the crash till daylight; and the 20th January 1992 , Airbus A-320 crash near Strasbourg where 88 people died and only 8 survived: "At the scene was total chaos. No one knew exactly where or how they could help".

A classic case of an efficient system was the Air France 358 Airbus A340 accident on August 2nd, 2005. The aircraft over ran the runway at Pearson international airport in Toronto during a thunderstorm. The aircraft was completely destroyed by the ensuing fire, but all the 309 passengers and crew survived. A scenario that is remarkably similar to the Sosoliso accident of 10th December 2005 in Port Harcourt Nigeria with very different outcomes!

( full script can be found at http://nigeriaaviationsafety.org/WHEN_SAFETY_COMES_LAST.html (http://nigeriaaviationsafety.org/WHEN_SAFETY_COMES_LAST.html) )

[mademan112]

The ELT HEX ID of the missing B1900 is:

2DC 84394ECFFBFF .

[mademan112]

i tink the lut symbol should be that of nigercomsat located on the outskirt of the city on the way to the airport am not too sure

[AircraftCarrier]

We have checked this HEX ID on our system and the history comes up with nothing. However, I have passed on the results of my findings to my contact at the Nigerian Airspace and advised he contact the French MCC as they are Nigeria's NODAL MCC. The French MCC should be able to check their records and come up with something, provided the ELT is in good condition and did activate on impact.

[AircraftCarrier]

Men,
NO NO!
It will interest you to know that sometime ago, Nigeria was even applying to become the NODAL MCC for Africa. Achievable, with a little change in attitude. Those symbols only come up when you have been accepted into the COSPAS SARSAT club. It's written all over our manuals here! But let me share something with you! Some countries do it for prestige purposes. They have no capacity to run it effectively. It's like buying an expesive car just for the purpose of parking it in your driveway for people to see. It even gets worse when the buyer does not know how to drive!

[ruma]

This Country, 'NIGERIA' is blessed! But----The God given resources is not being managed well by our leaders in authority. This is not the first time aircrafts will be missing from Nigeria airspace! From my little knowledge, far way back to 1977 an Aztec belonging to then Nigerian Civil Aviation, Zaria got missing between 'Bida Vor' and Zaria up till today and nothing was done! A bell 412 also dissapeared up till tomorrow at Chevron field in Agbami. No trace of her up till now. 'Lisa' Village incident could have followed suite if not for the villagers that contacted the authority when we were looking for her in Kwara/Oyo state!-100nm away! The crash site of Lisa is less than 8nm to Lag yet nobody could find it appart from the villagers. By the time the authority got to the site, vital things were missing! The rest is history. Thanks to the 'search and rescue' -I was at N04 19.3, E005 49.6 today on my own! Its 'close to Auntie Julie' Platform owned by Conoil and close to Funiwa, Chevron filed in the Niger delta.
It is high time the aviation stake holders wake up and ask put a procedure on grond to face this type of emergency. I pray that the villagers can help us out to find the missing plane. The authority have failed the nation! Please let us do something fast! It could be me they are looking for!

[Capt. Manuvar]

i just heard that the NEMA helicopter doesn't have current airway charts, shame. Anyway their primary task is to carry VIPs all over the place, so what do they care.
Wings aviation has never been known for its standards and for those in the know, it was only a matter of time before something happened. Don't be fooled by fancy paintwork and the leather interior

[verreaux eagle]

:{ This is shocking from a country which claims to be modern and on par with regards to aviation! I feel for our fellow aviators who operate in that part of the world! When will the government wake up and do something, not talk about it?:ugh: Surely with the drive to be accepted worldwide by the Nigerians, the international powers like FAA, ICAO and JAA can put some pressure to resolve this absolute disregard for safety?
Capt. Manuvar, you hit the nail on the head with your last statement! What I have gathered from a reliable source in Nigeria, it was only a matter of time for something to happen with the Wings operation! It apparently is general knowledge that their is a total disregard for safety and the "LAW"! Any idea what the WX was in that area?
We pray that the missing aircraft can be located speedily, however considering the time since it happened, I am afraid it might not be "good news"
Hopefully the Nigerian CAA will now do something about these kind of operators!:=

[DRPAM007]

I am elated to find that we have a great number of intellectual and concerned Nigerian Pilots in this forum.

I recall the Aviation and allied business published a brief interview in August 1997 while I was the secretary Pilot trade group in NAAPE ( National association of airline Pilots and Engineers), where I raised the issue of pilots being subjected to undue commercial pressure by operators thus impacting negatively on safety standards. The idea was to initiate a process that will evolve some sort of legal/job protection, considering a Pilot was sacked on the spot by the proprietor of Kabo airlines for refusing to conduct a pressurisation system test-flight with fare paying passengers on board. The aircraft had previously suffered an in-flight decompression (and) without sufficient oxygen on board. The rectification action required a mandatory test flight.
Suffice to say, another Pilot actually stepped forward and miraculously carried out the required test-flight and commercial flight simultaneously. You wonder what the tech log entry will read.
Of course the then Military government did not care and the FCAA was busy on a looting spree.The sad thing was most of the pilots just applauded the idea from a distance, but did nothing to support it.

“Evil thrives when good people do nothing”.

I do believe that the pilot is the last defence in the error chain.
No disrespect to our AME, (aircraft maintenance engineers) of which I happen to be one as well. This may seem far fetched or even arrogant, but the point I’m trying to make is that, the privilege brings with it great responsibilities. In essence, I hold the pilot community(myself included) largely responsible for the current despicable safety standard in the African sub continent.

Human error is inevitable, the 80:20 rule still holds sway despite ergonomics, defences-in-dept, Deming’s’ quality cycle, e.t.c.
We will still have errors in concept, design, manufacture, maintenance, SOP’s, air traffic control clearances, but all said and done if the point’s man with the stripes who accepts the tech log takes the decision that the flight will not go into the sky, there is a chance the accident will be averted. If he decides to risk it, it is his call but others too may have to pay for his recklessness.

Case in point. 25th Feb. 1995, maintenance error saw British midlands B737-400 despatched with both engines’ high pressure rotor drive covers missing. The flight crew observed the falling oil pressure and decided to make an emergency landing in Luton.The flight lasted only 17 minutes and landed with 10% oil in the gear box, saving 189 lives'; positive Last line of defence.

1st July 2001,Bashkirian Airlines Tupolev 154 flying from Moscow to Barcelona and a DHL Boeing 757 flying from Bergamo to Brussels. Both fully serviceable TCAS equipped aircrafts manned by very experienced crew in radar controlled airspace.
Both aircraft at FL 360 and converging. In a bid to avoid an imminent collision the controller gives TU-154 instruction to descend (expecting the B757 will still be maintaining FL360) but TCAS gives the TU-154 crew instruction to climb, Pilot decides to go with controller and descends. The DHL crew on the other hand, simply complied with their co-ordinated TCAS RA to descend.
The aircrafts collide at FL 330 and 71 people are killed. A classic case where no one really committed a culpable violation, but the last decision which could have averted the fatal accident rested with the pilots, and unfortunaltely the result was negative to the chain of defense.

The Nigerian Pilot community can not absolve itself from complicity in the current safety standards. I believe most of us stood by and watched; we failed to act appropriately while aviation safety standards are being eroded by ignorant bureaucrats and a few unscrupulous professionals.


A few reasons, why we should team up to salvage the situation.

1.International law accepts that a suspect is innocent, until proven guilty, but there is slight twist in aviation. Without really saying it, in the aftermath of an accident, the pilot assiduously is pre-judged guilty until absolved by the accident report.
2.Pilots by virtue of their location in the aircraft usually have the least chance of surviving most crashes.
3.Pilots put their signatures on their licenses to show they are bound by air law to comply with the safety regulations of the country of issue.
4.They are paid by the operators to professionally and safely carry out their duties (not yield to commercial pressure at the behest of the operator).
5.They are trusted by the travelling public to fly them in safety and relative comfort.

In the light of the above, why should Pilots (allow themselves to be coaxed into the habit of ) quietly and deliberately decide to fly aircrafts that are marginally safe/unsafe , in an airspace without adequate navigational aids, no route forecasts, to a destination without TAF,METAR, NOTAMs, secure perimeter, serviceable landing aids and adequate Rescue and fire fighting capability?


Ever visited some of your colleagues orphaned children and looked at them in the eye, knowing if you had stood up for what you believed, perhaps their parent may still be alive?


Do you still think there’s nothing we as a group can do?
We can speak out in the interest of safety and sustainable development. The operators, regulators, service providers, ground staff, engineers, travelling public all need us to speak out and act professionally.

I’m not insisting that you join a "perceived militant" group like NASI (Nigeria Aviation Safety Initiative) but at least decide and do something and as they say “A tree does not make a forest, but it can mark the beginning of an Oasis”.

[Flightsimman]

Hi,

I was wondering if someone could provide an update to this situation.

Has the aircraft been found or is the search continuing???

Thanks........

[DRPAM007]

As at 1415Z,

I Spoke with the NAMA MD and basically they are in contact with the Spanish Mission control centre, and are still searching for the missing airplane.

This position was also confirmed by a few reliable aviation correspondents I called in Lagos.

Some rumours are making the rounds that the aircraft may have been sighted in Lanseria, (South Africa) which I consider most unlikely. We all know that the radar network in Johannesburg is pretty good comparatively. Well, to get to the bottom of it, I called Lanseria airport (+27 11 659 2750) and spoke with the duty controller (today 1433Z) who checked their logs and informed me they have no information on the missing aircraft or any other Nigerian registered B1900 traffic recently.

The Nigerian senate appears peeved ( they dont know how peeved some us are!) and clamouring for heads to roll, but I think the timing is rather insensitive.
The right thing is to join efforts and resources, rescue the missing crew and afterwards analyse our dismal performance.

"Against the odds, we have to hope".

[NIJASEA]

At what point do we say enough is enough, Peeved is an understatement. I cant believe we cant locate an aircraft in the 21st century.

[ruma]

5N-BGY, the search and rescue helicopter is cooling off on ground NAF BASE, Port Harcourt after the so called search for the missing airplane in Obudu area. Also the Caverton Helicopter which is being conracted by NIMASA another agency have since returned to Lagos! Does that mean the search is over?:rolleyes: Is it because the crew were the only one involved ? Imagine if they were with the governor on board? the government would have intensified thier search! :(
The only concerned person seems to be the senate president who is also a pilot with PPL(H). maybe that was why he was a little bit concerened with the statement he made on the telly! We the remaining masses are waiting to see the outcome of this search.I wish they could tell the whole world the type of training and equipment on board this so called search helicopter? What makes NIMASA contracted the search mission of its agency to Caverton in the first place? To the best of my knowledge, nothing special is on board their fleet of helicopters for the mission. The crew too were not specially trained for such----- So it is how far you can see and all that -----.I belief the float given the crew is exausted after a week of stay in Obudu. So they have to go and beg their oga for more fund? I am just wondering and i hope someone will raise my hope from this valley of ---

[Phone Wind]

"HAVING searched for the missing plane in vain for six days, the Federal Government is now considering scaling down the search operations by reducing the number of helicopters deployed for the purpose.
Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), AVM Maigari Audu Bida (rtd), told journalists yesterday that the missing plane was yet to be found and that the six helicopters deployed in the search would be reduced to one.

According to him, all but one of the helicopters belonged to private companies and were brought in to assist the Federal Government in the efforts to locate the plane. The only NEMA helicopter, he said, would continue with the search, just as the ground search party would intensify it operations.

Responding to a question on whether the agency had a time frame to search operation, the D-G said: “We don’t give up searching for an aircraft that is missing like this case because lives are involved and property are involved.

“What we do is that we could downgrade the number of people and the number of assets we assign to it. Like by tomorrow, we are thinking probably we could reduce the effort, we will leave the NEMA.

Meanwhile, the independent helicopters, we will tell them to go back to their companies because they are there for making money and we have taken about four days out of their time and we feel that since we have the ground search party, the ground search party would continue and our helicopter will continue.

“Whenever we have any information that something is happening anywhere, our helicopter can go there. But the other helicopters, we will tell them to go back to their companies by tomorrow,” he said.

According to him, most of the services of the helicopters were provided free to the Federal Government but the agency had to bear the cost of fuelling and crew amenities. He explained that most of them came on humanitarian grounds.

AVM Audu Bida said the search had been very difficult because of the the terrain which he described as mountainous and thick mangrove forests.

“So far, we have not located the missing aircraft but the last aircraft for search today (yesterday) landed in Calabar and we are looking at the possibility of the ground search party continuing the exercise tomorrow (today).

“The area where we are searching around Obudu is a very mountainous and you have some areas that have high mangrove forests. So, if an aircraft falls in there, you hardly can detect it. And the mountainous nature of the area makes it very dangerous for aircraft operations. So, people that are asking that up till now we have not seen the aircraft.

It is a very difficult terrain and it is not an easy place. It is not a low land nor flat land. You have a lot of mountain ranges and just by the side you have mangrove forest.

“You have trees that measure up to 300 feet in height and anything that goes under it probably you may not be able to locate it,” he said.

The search, he said, had led to the combing of Cross River State, Benue State, Ebonyi State, Enugu State, the Eastern borders and the mountains around it, adding: “I am just telling you all this to show you the efforts we have put in so that people who are asking questions would know how much efforts we have put in and are still putting in.”

The ground search party include officers of the police, Civil Defence, SSS, Cross State government officials, Cameroonians Search and Rescue officials, and volunteer members of the public."

[Capt. Manuvar]

Wings have two identical B1900s, 5N-PTL and 5N-JAH. I believe the former is in South Africa, possibly lanseria, undergoing maintenance. Maybe someone mistook it for the missing aircraft.

DRPAM007

I totally agree with you when you say we pilots are responsible for the situation in which we find ourselves now. The only reaction of Nigerian pilots to decaying facility is for us to grumble among ourselves. In fact, our ability to operate under these dangerous conditions has become something to brag about. Nobody writes reports, so officially nothing is wrong.

[ruma]

I totally agree with you when you say we pilots are responsible for the situation in which we find ourselves now. The only reaction of Nigerian pilots to decaying facility is for us to grumble among ourselves. In fact, our ability to operate under these dangerous conditions has become something to brag about. Nobody writes reports, so officially nothing is wrong


Pilots do write reports to the authority! At the end of the day, the hunter becomes the hunted!! An incidents happened sometimes in Aba, the people wrote a pettition to NCAA to investigate a case of a helicopter killing someone on ground. NCAA went there with their team of investigators and at the point of submitting the report to the concerned authority in Lagos, the file 'disappeared' mid air between Port Harcourt and Lagos. The surveyor in charge of the matter was warned never to re-visit the case. So the case is closed. A pilot was also fired in one of this 'new generation' company the last time for refusing to fly with a no go item in the MEL. When reports were written to the authority about a particular company, a copy of the pettition is given to the accused company before the audit for peanuts! The issue of corruption has eaten deep into the system here in Nigeria. We still have some bad eggs in the aviation ministry that are constantly sabotagging the ministry and the country in general.
Has any of us pilots taken the pain to supervise a C of A pre and post inspection documentations?How many times have you failed an engine for single engine climb? and at the end of the day, the technical department will pass the same engine with a bougos language without a follow up? At times you can hardly read the registration mark of some of our aeroplanes- meanwhile there is a minimum dimession of this artwork stated in the relevant documents. All in the name of fancy colours and interiors at the expense of safety. Provided the brown envellope is bouyant enough,the airplane will surely pass a C of A renewal. The equipments might be there on board! but are they serviceable? Most of the equipments on board are bougos part without a 'green label' Transponder is a no go item on our ships here in Nigeria. Are we sincere to the letter on our MEL? Several helicopters still flying around in our airspace without a serviceable transponder! The excuse is-NO TOTAL RADAR COVERAGE! The list is on and on if we are to be sincere with our selves. It is like putting round pegs in square holes.

[GroskinTheFlyer]

Agreed everything is in shambles in our dear country from SAR to crisis /information management, radar, etc it is however not unusual for missing planes to remain not found.In other cases it takes ages to locate crash sites even in developed countries and this is due to the type of terrain.

Steve fosset is a classical example,and this happened in a developed country.

I pray the plane is found with survivors.

[birrddog]

(This of course being a rhetorical question)

The cost of satellite+gps epirbs being so low (sub US$500 for hand-held personal units) why can't these be made mandatory?

I realize this will take a long time to be put into law around the world, but cost can not be considered a factor. I realize aviation certified units would cost more, but certainly only a fraction relative to the cost of aircraft, let alone the value of crew+pax.

Even a pilot with 'means' like Fosset didn't have one.

When will we learn?

I recall flying in parts of Zambia where only luck would have had an aircraft flying overhead within the battery limits of our 121.5 epirb in a US$1.5 aircraft.

[DRPAM007]

In reaction to the senate probe and the mis-management of the N19.5 billion aviation intervention fund NASI wishes to reiterate that:

"It is evident that government agencies can not be trusted with public funds and confidentiality clauses, we recommend that income and expenditure with regards to public funds should be in the public domain, unless when it is inimical to national security".
We refer again to our 27th February 2005 analysis of the industry, where we recommended
"In agreement with the ministry of finance recommendation in 2004, all government agencies especially the six parastatals of the ministry of aviation should publish a quarterly update of their financial activities on their websites. This will further strengthened the resolve to stem corruption and improve public confidence.
The essence of probity is to reveal the truth and to expose acts that are a contravention of the law; like abuse of office, misuse of government resources and outright fraud. We demand requisite intervention by the relevant arm of the law. This will serve to vindicate the innocent and punish those who are indeed culpable of the allegations.
In this vein, we hope the probe reports on Nigeria Airways and the Nigeria College of aviation technology will be properly investigated by the EFCC and subsequently prosecution by the police.
And we dont want a repeat of the circus type "mockery of justice" played out in the Tafa Balogun saga; where theft of over N17b of public funds and the knock-on effect it would have had on innocent lives attracted just about 6 months detention. We are expecting him to put himself forward for some political office soon.

( Is the Nigeian aviation sector definitely plagued by a "latent resident pathogen?" Sounds like recipe for another posting here.)

[DRPAM007]

My apologies to those who have already read the full script.This was actually Published last year in a couple of papers. However,the problem remains to be addressed).

When safety comes last; After politics and short term economics(NASI)



Competition and constructive criticisms are definitely required to keep our helmsmen focused on the job they’re sworn to perform. Sometimes, in the critic’s voice of lies a wise note or a noble cause.

Our ministers of aviation have not only consistently under-performed, but are fond of making public statements that at best expose their ignorance and at worse, embarrass the entire nation.



This highly specialised industry requires Leaders who know their onions or will take advice from those who do.

The ministry has a press and legal unit as well as directorates expectedly manned by core professionals.

In times like these, it is expedient to have the directors of safety and technical policy as well as transport management close by, to guide the Minister’s public utterances. Recent comments credited to an Ex-Minister (Borishade on ADC 053) have been far from eloquent, legal or professional.

It has become a Hallmark for our ministers to make prejudicial comments over incidents and accidents ahead of preliminary reports from the AIPB (Accident Investigation & Prevention Bureau). The essence of an investigation is not to apportion blame but to determine the contributory factors and implement measures to forestall reoccurrence (refer to ICAO annex 13). Instead of making vitriolic statements our Hon. Minister should ponder on the above.

Most Nigerian aviation professionals domiciled abroad cringe with shame whenever our ministers make some unguarded public statements. Four out of five times it is a source of embarrassment when measured against the international norm. I recall a comment from an American colleague “what do you expect when Jesters are running the show?” I felt like exploding in rage, but I restrained myself and calmed down. After all he wasn’t too far off the mark.

A case in point is the unfortunate reaction of the former Minister to the incidents in Lagos and Jos on 11th & 12th June 2005. The pilots were immediately declared guilty of professional negligence and sentenced to 9 months suspension with further training required before commencing any flying duties. This was prelude to any hearing, or even a preliminary report from the AIPB.

NASI was the only voice to condemn that misdemeanor. Other memorable occasions include the Slok-gate affair, age 20 rule, discovery of over 70 illegal aerodromes, helipads and airstrips, promises of total radar coverage since 1998 to mention but a few.

In the case of ADC 053 it is heart warming to know that NAAPE has not just kept mute and the Widow of Late Capt. Atanda is crying blue murder. We are disappointed that the then head of the AIPB, Engineer Angus Azoka is neither calling the minister to order over his prejudicial reprehensive comments nor offering a preliminary report to substantiate the facts so far obtained. May we remind him; the AIPB is no longer under the office of the minister, but under the presidency. So have no fear of doing what is right.

Some unconfirmed sources insist that the crew of ADC 053 were able to transmit a distress call before impact. However the FDR and CVR should point us in the right direction as to the remote and immediate causative factors of the accident. Should the flight crew be exonerated of professional negligence, the Hon. Minister would have opened his high office to avoidable litigation. The point is, At times like this, silence is golden.

From an outsider’s point of view, Dr. Chikwe was able to cut the lard better than her two successors. She was ambitious and her tenure was trailed with a lot of controversy, but she set the tempo for a lot of exceptional activity that was unfortunately not maintained by her successors. She had great plans but was not able to harness the synergy required to make strong positive impact within her tenure. Her Achilles heel was, she could not draw the line between a firm manager and a dictator.

Have we learnt anything from past accidents?

The fundamental purpose of any accident investigation is to improve aviation safety by determining the causes of air accidents and serious incidents and making safety recommendations intended to prevent recurrence. It is not to apportion blame or liability.

If our aviation administrators will not implement the safety recommendations proffered after accident investigations, why waste our time and resources carrying out the investigations?

From April 10th 1948, Nigeria has recorded over 102 aircraft accidents. Though less than half of these were fatal, all would have been subjected to detailed investigations with an ensuing report. Every conclusive investigation has a section dedicated to safety recommendations. This details measures that the investigators belief should be effected in order to prevent re-occurrence of similar accidents.

The DHC-6 fatal accident of April 23Rd 1995 at Lagos airport was attributed to a weather phenomenon associated with thunderstorms known as windshear. The report recommended installation of a device “LLWAS” low level windshear alerting systems at our busiest airport. Ten years later, in his brief of May 2005 Mallam Yuguda claims to have installed the system. Our investigations prove that was false information. Dec 10th 2005, Sosoliso DC-9 crashes in Port Harcourt, contributory factor “windshear”. Last week Prof. Borishade is claiming ADC 053 was brought down by weather as well.


A detailed look at the civil aviation policy and the lofty achievements claimed by the four ministers of aviation (of the fourth republic) in their bi-annual media briefings bears no congruency to the realities on ground.

One wonders if they truly read the civil aviation policy statements and verify the contents of their speeches before going in front of the cameras. For a start they all claim inheriting an industry on the verge of collapse and within months, lay claims to achieving the same landmark achievements. Though they don’t deny the inherent corruption and lack of accountability within the system, they do nothing and offer no solutions for tackling it.


The house committees are supposed to be a check to the excesses of the ministry and the accountable managers, or are they too busy politicking to notice the discrepancies within the system?

The current structure has its flaws; the two major ones being addressed are the lack of an autonomous regulatory agency and an accident investigation and prevention bureau.

The cancer that will destroy any structure is still there; corruption thriving under an atmosphere that lacks probity, transparency and accountability.



“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past”.

May the Souls of those who have paid the price of our negligence rest in peace, and may their Spirits forgive us?

Long live the people of Nigeria! Long live the Republic of Nigeria.

In memory of Jerry Agbeyebe who was brutally murdered 12th October 2004, in mysterious circumstances.

Pam D.R. – (Chair, NASI governing council)
Email: [email protected]+447774037263 ([email protected]+447774037263)

Engr. Effanga. Offiong- (Deputy Executive Director)
Engr. Ajeye, Nuhu D.-NASI- USA(Contributing writer:)

[DRPAM007]

Sometimes, when you know about the innovations that are being spearheaded in normal societies to enhance the quality and safety of lives, you wonder what our system managers are really doing.

We are not imploring them to set up a R&D (research and development) unit in Abuja, all we asking them is to learn (like Japan did after 1945) from what other countries are doing and borrow a "good" leaf when they see one. That cant be so difficult, can it? How about some requisite imagination and lateral thinking for once?

The USA has been developing a new surveilance and detection system called synthetic aperture radar or SAR.

This radar system is designed to be able to peer through trees, clouds and other obstructions to find lost planes and hopefully save lives.( They have been silient with regards to it's completion for a while, so I guess it's the military that are currently using it). This has been functionally tested in 2002.

It is meant to complement a global satellite system that listens for electronic emergency beacons sent by wrecked planes or people in distress. In remote areas, the beacons guide search and rescue personnel directly to the crash site. The system we have been relying to find the missing Wings aviation B1900 5N-JAH called Cospas-Sarsat, is all but useless if the emergency locator beacon (ELT) on board the airplane is unserviceable, destroyed on impact or fails to activate.


"Several states, including Alaska, California and Montana are interested in this radar," said David Affens, head of NASA’s Search and Rescue Mission Office at Goddard Space Flight Center, which is developing the radar. "We’ve even been called into some real searches for aircraft, though long after they’ve crashed, since the process now is very slow."


Hope we'll learn from our experience and that of others.
Sadly, it may be slow and too late for some.

[ZAZOO]

All said and done this aircraft is still out there!

The Captain is a friend and a brother to me and it hurts so much to imagine what has transpired since the day of their disappearance.

Sadly I have lost any hope of them surviving a crash or CFIT in that area.

For now I am only interested in locating the site and bringing the crew back home.

Any scenarios about where they might be, I believe they could be anywhere between the Obudu and Calabar airport.

Did the search party concentrate only around the Obudu axis or did they actually have a look around the calabar area. They could have had a serious problem and tried to divert to Calabar.

Lets look at scenarios with a diversion to Calabar Airport.

Zazoo

[Flightsimman]

OK...What are the scenarios of diverting to Calabar Airport?

Is the terrain a problem??

Is the airport in controlled airspace?

Would they be searching at night (surely they would have access to "infa-red" camera's ???)

I also find it very hard to believe that this aircraft hasn't been found, or at least the fact that the "Emergency Locator Beacon" failed to work.

What was the weather like on the day of the flight??

[chuks]

It may be that the beacon was inop or failed to trigger for some reason, when it can be very hard to spot a wrecked aircraft in the thick tropical vegetation. Aircraft tend to go in through the upper canopy, making a rather small hole, and then lie hidden on the forest floor, according to what I have been told.

Absent an ELT signal it can take a very long time to find a crash site in the terrain found in that region. It varies between hilly, mountainous and thickly forested.

Usually these new ELTs are pretty good for location; we had one accidentally switched on when the Nigerian authorities came and got us within a short time, telling us which airplane it was and even where it was parked at Murtala Muhammed Airport! I was impressed.

I am sorry to hear about this recent accident after a long period of operating safely.

Jerry, ah! He was a real character, wasn't he? Just another guy spouting inconvenient truths who seems to have been shut up permanently, as with so many others there in Nigeria. Keep his memory green, Doctor.

[mademan112]

hi flights man unfortunately the airplane hasnt been located how sad,things turn out this way each time a plane gets missing or is involved in an accident and lives are lost, i bet you in a short period you would hear nothing bout the missing airplane again,did u mention infra red lol pls brotha we are far from that at this point in time i doubt if the emergency search and resue agency has any of that truth is there is so much corruption in the aviation sector in nigeria billions of dollars disappear into thin air from time to time and this funds are provided to upgrade the sector,yet we call ourselves the giant of africa :sad:most of our pilots are so far some of the best in the world,trained to standard and maintain a high level of dicipline and attitude towards the profession but unfortunate some so called men on board wouldnt let the necessary changes occur
i know if this incident were to happen in the us or elsewhere it wouldnt take up to an hr to locate the aircraft or crash site
i pray someday soon there would be a revolution in the aviation industry here,like i say aviation goes beyond having brand new airplanes and inventories etc its all bout attitude,and the passion its about positive ideas nd growth
let me sight an example, the college of aviation technology in zaria is so far the biggest flying school in africa as a whole and one of the biggest in the world shocked to know, the college at a certain point in time almost lost its glory and status quo as one of the best in the world, some of the brightest pilots in the industry had their training in zaria so also traffic controllers
not long back over 2billion naira was allocated to the college now if u ask what and how it was utilized i dont know
the college has over 30 training airplanes amongst other facilities but yet you hardly find the students flying as the law requires in respect to training in the past some students spent bout 5 yrs trying to get a standard pilots license which is still not recongized in some parts of the world like the jaa and faa licenses
a new student is made to pay about 8million naira for a standard pilot training program well i think the word standard should be exempted from the statement.
we still have a long way to go.
i know there is a high demand for professional pilots in the nigeria aviation industry due to the entrance of new airlines and operators.
the older generation pilots are getting to the age of retirement i have come across a couple of them who have served the industry for over 20years earnestly but sadely not recognised
just few airlines and operators are willing to sponsor young men and women who cannot afford to pay for their training but have the desire to fly.
the banks are not any better in supporting student loans for those who want to fly but cant afford it
these and so many other issues that need to be addressed
i hope someday soon a strong body comprising of pilots,atc crew etc who be formed to address and find possible ways around this long lasting problems
nigeria pilots and atc are great men and women and i would always respect and love them for what the stand for

[DRPAM007]

(Apologise for the lengthy posts, but I believe that we have the much needed human resource on this site.)

I pray and hope that the search ends successfully for our three colleagues. Recall the F27 crash on 13th October 1972, involving the Uruguayan rugby team that was finally rescued after 72 days in the Chilean Andes.
I know how you feel Zazoo; I have felt the same way a lot of times. Anxiety, desperation and then feeling of despondency.

A few personal instances:

Yinka Shodeinde, Bristow Lagos 23rd April 1995. Colleague in Bristow, had lunch together 3 days before the accident.

Jide Afonja, (co-pilot) ADC 086 Lagos November 7th 1996. A personal friend and My next door neighbour while studying in Zaria, less than a week after we discussed some safety issues with respect to maintenance and serviceability in ADC.

Peter Inneh of EAS Kano 4th May 2002.

Ernest Eshun, (co-pilot) Bellview 210, Lagos 23rd October 2005. A close friend of mine, was planning to visit me with his pregnant wife who sadly was on board the doomed flight. He was offered a job by both wings aviation and Bellview and asked for my opinion; and I recommended Bellview for career reasons. A short career it turned to be.

Shuaibu Ali 28th November 2005, ambitious,vibrant and gregarious young man.

Kunle Adebayo Sosoliso 1145, 11th Dec 2005. Spoke a few weeks earlier about safety issues and job change.

I know some events are beyond human control, but I believe countless of these fatal accidents were easily and completely avoidable.
The event gives rise to grief and sorrow, then a feeling of being let down or betrayed by some one; maybe the NCAA for not being efficient in their supervisory role, NAMA for unserviceable navaids, NIMET for unavailability of weather reports and forecasts, or the operators for being unscrupulous and pressuring employees to cut corners (costs) improve profit margins, then at engineers for poor maintenance, e.t.c. the Blame chain continues until you realize that you could have played a role that could have possibly avoided the negative outcome You’ve just experienced.

That for me was in June 25, 1995 when I witnessed the Harka plane crash in Lagos airport (landing over run TU-143 on rwy 19L).
I got to the scene 30 minutes after the tower reported the accident. Of course, emergency services were already at the scene and people were milling all around the place. Finally got to meet the 4 man Russian crew who spoke very little English, so I asked one of their interpreter/ground staff if all souls on board have been evacuated and accounted for, to which he replied yes. 15 minutes later, smoke started emanating from the aircraft, and the fire service started to restrict/control access due to the increased fire risk, 10 minutes later, I saw an injured woman crying and being escorted from around the wreckage. To my surprise, I was told she came from the aircraft. At this point, a fire had broken out at the crash site.
The next day I found out that 15 people had died in the blaze, while I stood with the crowd (15 minutes before the smoke started), watching and expecting that the fire service had already evacuated everyone on board. Perhaps I should have tried to verify the misleading information that all passengers and crew had been evacuated.
I have not been bold enough to find out who were the deceased, but I still feel some level of guilt even after 13 years that, I stood by and let innocent people die.
I have had images of the passengers, some still conscious trapped or injured, seeing hundreds of people through the aircraft window 30 minutes after the crash only to be burned to death because some of us did nothing.
I would feel much better if I had tried and failed to rescue even one of them, but at least I’ll know that I did my best. This is perhaps one of the reasons that motivate me to do something about aviation safety, no matter how insignificant.

From “mademan112” post, we do realize the industry problem requires a simultaneous holistic approach. Nigeria is already short of pilots, thus putting pressure on the current numbers to exceed duty and flight time limitations, usually enticed by a “pay per hour” facility. I hope we don’t have a scenario soon where both Pilots are incapacitated due fatigue or cardiac arrest.

Are you sure there is nothing you can do to facilitate a positive change to the crisis facing the aviation in Nigeria and by extension Africa?
Jerry tried his best, he had a dozen faults (I know, we worked together for some years). However, he's now dead leaving behind 7 kids, and the aviation industry still in crisis.

However, we have to admit, his record of campaigning for aviation safety is yet to be beaten and I think we should learn from his positive attitude and sheer determination to be the bastion for a change.

Well, since we are still alive.

What should we do? Not for Jerry, but for the victims of the next event and posterity.

(Forgive any typos, I am feeling sleepy!
and Thank you all for your patience).

[AVSEC]

I really dont know what to say.......:sad:
Will this be the last incident?
The Nigerian aviation industry appears to have a long way to go,in areas that are very important to the industry.
May the crew actually still be alive I pray to our almighty creator.
Will safety and security ever really matter to Nigeria aviation?
I hope it will now.

[atedo]

I hope this issues goes outside this forum as we have the responsibility to prepare a good ground for our children.

It is saddening that beaureucrats are running aviation and other areas of our economy with no technical input.

Data collection in Naija is zero, inshort not an issue in governance.

We need to let the people know what is happening and the need to seek for change.:ugh::ugh:

[Flightsimman]

Any word on the current status on searching for this aircraft ??

Can someone please provide an update???

Thanks...

[Capt Tobias Wilcock]

Can anyone tell me, why we still have people parading themselves as Captains, they are creating confusion and compromising the integrity of properly trained pilots, latest is a story in the thisday newspaper where ''Captain'' Mohammed Joji ( never flew an aircraft but owned an airline ) goes ahead to blame the pilot of the missing B1900 and discribed how he flew into a mountain or was short down in Cameroun, (even though aircraft as not been located) , to top it all the Chairman of your Pilots association too scared to reply ( maybe after late jerry's case)would not take him on. for all we know here your as pilots qualifications are suspect.
Since the main person here is not a pilot, first was Capt Iyayi who went on to head a whole nations air space management authourity on false pretend ( we understand he has a clerical job in Aero) you still have one big catch in the preseidency parading around, Captains without command, guess it must be a traditional aviation title :suspect:

[Shunanny]

What missing airplane :E

[V1_RHOT8]

Do we act surprised?

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/apr/25/614.html

Incredible: Ex-gov diverted 'missing' plane - Plane found in an African country


By Our Reporters
Friday, April 25, 2008

THE Beechcraft 1900D aircraft declared missing since March 15 may have been flown out of the country on the order of a former governor to weaken evidences against him in his ongoing trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

http://odili.net/images/blank.gif
Reliable security sources indicated that the aircraft, owned by the former governor, was flown to a West African country as directed by the embattled ex-governor who is facing corruption charges at a Federal High Court.

According to the security sources, the aircraft was one of the exhibits to be used in the prosecution of the ex-governor as the EFCC had listed it as one of the properties acquired by the ex-governor while in office.

Informed sources revealed that the aircraft was hurriedly moved to destroy evidence that the ex-governor acquired any aircraft, as the anti-graft body has alleged in its over 103 charges against him.

The source revealed that the sudden disappearance of the aircraft had put the EFCC in a very tight corner as it could no longer prove the allegation that the ex-governor purchased an aircraft with state funds.

It was alleged that the flying out of the aircraft was carefully arranged to make it look as if it crashed on its way to Obudu. Aviation experts have revealed that all crashed aircraft automatically send signals about their location or emit heavy smoke, but neither of these features was present with regard to the missing plane.

The security officials added that the aircraft might be hidden somewhere within the sub-region or leased, and urged that the searchlight be beamed on some small countries in West Africa. It was alleged that the airport security personnel were not at alert, and the pilot of the plane may have used Obudu as a decoy for the destination of the aircraft.

An earlier false information about the missing aircraft was that it had been found at Mbagu Village in Yalla Local Government Area of Cross River State, while the three crew members aboard were dead.

The name of the pilot was given as Captain Augustine Egbedi, that of the co-pilot as Captain Tanko (other name not given), while the third occupant was said to be Miss Tuberata A., the airline’s standardisation officer.

The Federal Government, two weeks ago, set up a probe panel headed by a retired Air force Officer, Air Vice Marshal Saliu Atawodi, to investigate the disappearance of the aircraft and, if possible, to locate the site of the crash.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Air Transportation, Mr. Felix Hyat, has said that the equipment for an effective search for the missing Beechcraft 1900D aircraft was lacking in Nigeria.

He disclosed this in an interview with aviation journalists in Lagos after a meeting with the staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Wednesday evening.

According to him, there was decay in the nation’s aviation industry because of the past neglect. He said the Federal Government was already working out modalities to ensure that it got to the root of the missing aircraft.

“We don’t have what it takes to carry out an efficient search and rescue operation in this country. We don’t have the wherewithal to handle such an issue,” he said.

However, the minister declared that government was already making moves to ensure that necessary equipment to ensure that the country was well positioned to handle such a situation in future was put in place.

“Government is already working on that. We are working with NEMA so as to ensure we have a very virile search and rescue. We want to put all resources on the ground so that when there is such a case, we will know it is not our fault,” he stressed.

[ruma]

I rest my case and waiting to what will happen next. At least its a rumour network. It is also on record that due to poor air policing that the late buisness Mogul cum politician en route to Katsina during his days diverted its airplane to Europe when he realised that he was to be arrested by the security agents. The news of his arrival was in the air the moment he got into Europe. We have being advocating for total radar coverage and this will be of help to all these puzzle. It is also on record that 5N-AZW owned by the Aviation training centre, Zaria is still missing till date after almost 25years of the incident. Captain Matthew Adeboye is still nowhere to be found with this twin engine airplane.

[chuks]

There was a Learjet that was missing for a long time in New Hampshire, U.S.A. It had no ELT, since there was a loophole in the rules that meant jets didn't need them as small aircraft did, and even though it must have crashed shortly before landing it took a very long time before a hunter finally came across the wreckage.

Even in a heavily-populated country such as the U.S.A. you can still get large areas where there are very few people to notice a crash. Too, when you do the maths for an aircraft that is doing something like 250 knots for even ten minutes then you end up with an impossibly large search area. In that case it would mean searching an area of about 1 400 square miles!

As we have all been taught, the approach and landing phase of flight is one of the riskiest, with CFIT always a possibility. Obudu Airstrip has no approach facilities, although I suppose one could make up some sort of GPS-based approach, plus it is in very hilly terrain, so that it would be easy to imagine a small mistake having deadly consequences trying to land there if the weather is not CAVOK.

Having total radar coverage (as in the U.S.A.) is no panacea to this problem of aircraft going missing. You usually find that once an aircraft descends below a certain altitude then it goes off the radar, as this unfortunate Learjet did, when you are reduced to guessing just where it may have crashed. On the other hand, if the crew are either hijacked or else want to "do a runner" then there really isn't much use to having radar coverage. Assuming ATC are even watching closely there are rather simple ways to disappear from the screen we can all imagine.

When I was working down in south Florida we had the opposite problem, aircraft flying into the States smuggling drugs trying to evade being spotted on radar. It took some complicated solutions, believe me, things that would be far beyond the capabilities of normal ATC radar coverage.

If this missing 1900 really is the subject of an investigation I think you shall find there are legal devices that mean it easily could be used as evidence without having to have the aircraft physically present in court. To say that the aircraft's disappearance means it no longer comes into question as evidence sounds like a red herring to me.

[Capt Tobias Wilcock]

Hello,

Can any body tell us if we should allow the Captain to fly us, He seems quite experienced:suspect:

[K.K]

Hi
Please update me on this situation. Has the aircraft been found or what is the final conclusion on this....
Id appreciate if someone can private me the names of the crew, as I just heard about it few days back and one of them was old friend of mine :sad: just wanted to confirm he was onboard..
Thanks in advance

[Flightsimman]

Hi KK,

Apparently it was found a while ago (read the full thread for all the info)