V1_RHOT8
9th Apr 2009, 05:30
News -- Why Bellview aircraft crashed in 2005, by U.S. experts (http://odili.net/news/source/2009/apr/6/701.html)
Why Bellview aircraft crashed in 2005, by U.S. experts
By Rotimi Durojaiye, Group Business Editor, Lagos
American aviation experts who investigated Bellview's Boeing 737 aircraft that crashed on October 22, 2005 have attributed the accident to fire. http://odili.net/images/blank.gif
But the looting of the wreckage by villagers prevented them from getting concrete evidence to determine whether the fire occurred before or after the crash.
The accident report is contained in a memorandum to the United States Department of Justice by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a copy of which was obtained by Daily Independent at the weekend.
Brent Watkins of FBI Explosive Unit (EU) signed the report. The investigators included personnel from Boeing (manufacturers of the aircraft); Pratt and Whitney (manufacturers of the engine); and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The NTSB maintains the database of civil aviation accidents and conducts studies of transportation safety issues of national significance.
It provides investigators to serve as U.S. accredited representatives as specified in international treaties for aviation accidents overseas, involving aircraft registered in the U.S., or involving aircraft or major components of U.S. manufacture.
The experts noted that Bellview Flight 210 impacted the ground in an almost straight-in attitude (right wing slightly low) while the engines were at full speed. They estimated that the plane was cruising at approximately 400 miles per hour (mph) with G-forces (Gravitational forces) up to approximately 24 Gs.
"Examiners were advised that some witnesses stated that the aircraft was on fire as it descended towards the ground, but the credibility or accuracy of those statements could not be established.
"The NTSB representative also reported that the crash site had been extensively looted, the aircraft had approximately 11,000 kilogrammes of fuel on board prior to departure, and there was no declared HAZMAT (Hazard Material) aboard the aircraft," Watkins said.
The report noted though the investigators had access to all the wreckage recovered by November 10, 2005, they were unable to examine any luggage or cargo because they had been looted.
"Physical examination of the wreckage and explosives residue testing showed no evidence of high explosives. There was clear evidence of a fire but no conclusion could be reached as to whether the fire occurred prior to the crash or only as a result of the crash.
"No conclusions were drawn as to the cause of the fire. There are indications the fire damage discussed above was post-crash, but there is sufficient evidence (in the wreckage examined by the EU) to rule out a localised in-flight or determine its origin.
"There was no examination of luggage or any other items which had been loaded into the cargo hold of the aircraft."
Two additional sections of the wreckage from the same area of the cargo hold were examined and neither exhibited signs of high explosive damage.
The report noted, however, that after the visual examination of a three-foot by four-foot piece object, there was no high explosive damage, but that there was evidence of a relatively low temperature fire.
"The fire was sufficiently intense to cause a lead panel on the inside of the aircraft skin to begin melting, but not intense enough to melt the aluminium. Lead melts at approximately 327 degrees Celsius and aluminium at over 600 degrees Celsius.
"Additionally, the lead did not exhibit any pitting, impact craters, or fragment penetrations. The localised temperature produce by the detonation of high explosives far exceeds the melting point of aluminium."
Swabs taken from the inner and outer surface of the piece of interest were screened at the FBI laboratory for explosive residue but the results were negative.
Bellview Flight 210 crashed at Lisa, a village in Ogun State. All the 117 people on board perished.
They included Waziri Ibrahim, Nigeria Railway Corporation Chairman; Maria Shokenu, former People's Bank of Nigeria Managing Director; Abubakar Argungu, federal Post Master General; John Udeka, ACB International Bank Managing Director; and Joseph Igwe, Bolingo Hotels Abuja Chairman.
Why Bellview aircraft crashed in 2005, by U.S. experts
By Rotimi Durojaiye, Group Business Editor, Lagos
American aviation experts who investigated Bellview's Boeing 737 aircraft that crashed on October 22, 2005 have attributed the accident to fire. http://odili.net/images/blank.gif
But the looting of the wreckage by villagers prevented them from getting concrete evidence to determine whether the fire occurred before or after the crash.
The accident report is contained in a memorandum to the United States Department of Justice by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a copy of which was obtained by Daily Independent at the weekend.
Brent Watkins of FBI Explosive Unit (EU) signed the report. The investigators included personnel from Boeing (manufacturers of the aircraft); Pratt and Whitney (manufacturers of the engine); and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The NTSB maintains the database of civil aviation accidents and conducts studies of transportation safety issues of national significance.
It provides investigators to serve as U.S. accredited representatives as specified in international treaties for aviation accidents overseas, involving aircraft registered in the U.S., or involving aircraft or major components of U.S. manufacture.
The experts noted that Bellview Flight 210 impacted the ground in an almost straight-in attitude (right wing slightly low) while the engines were at full speed. They estimated that the plane was cruising at approximately 400 miles per hour (mph) with G-forces (Gravitational forces) up to approximately 24 Gs.
"Examiners were advised that some witnesses stated that the aircraft was on fire as it descended towards the ground, but the credibility or accuracy of those statements could not be established.
"The NTSB representative also reported that the crash site had been extensively looted, the aircraft had approximately 11,000 kilogrammes of fuel on board prior to departure, and there was no declared HAZMAT (Hazard Material) aboard the aircraft," Watkins said.
The report noted though the investigators had access to all the wreckage recovered by November 10, 2005, they were unable to examine any luggage or cargo because they had been looted.
"Physical examination of the wreckage and explosives residue testing showed no evidence of high explosives. There was clear evidence of a fire but no conclusion could be reached as to whether the fire occurred prior to the crash or only as a result of the crash.
"No conclusions were drawn as to the cause of the fire. There are indications the fire damage discussed above was post-crash, but there is sufficient evidence (in the wreckage examined by the EU) to rule out a localised in-flight or determine its origin.
"There was no examination of luggage or any other items which had been loaded into the cargo hold of the aircraft."
Two additional sections of the wreckage from the same area of the cargo hold were examined and neither exhibited signs of high explosive damage.
The report noted, however, that after the visual examination of a three-foot by four-foot piece object, there was no high explosive damage, but that there was evidence of a relatively low temperature fire.
"The fire was sufficiently intense to cause a lead panel on the inside of the aircraft skin to begin melting, but not intense enough to melt the aluminium. Lead melts at approximately 327 degrees Celsius and aluminium at over 600 degrees Celsius.
"Additionally, the lead did not exhibit any pitting, impact craters, or fragment penetrations. The localised temperature produce by the detonation of high explosives far exceeds the melting point of aluminium."
Swabs taken from the inner and outer surface of the piece of interest were screened at the FBI laboratory for explosive residue but the results were negative.
Bellview Flight 210 crashed at Lisa, a village in Ogun State. All the 117 people on board perished.
They included Waziri Ibrahim, Nigeria Railway Corporation Chairman; Maria Shokenu, former People's Bank of Nigeria Managing Director; Abubakar Argungu, federal Post Master General; John Udeka, ACB International Bank Managing Director; and Joseph Igwe, Bolingo Hotels Abuja Chairman.