What's New In W. Africa (Nigeria)
Nigerian In Law
Cover Up ?? Or Not ??
Ambi,
Rumours abound, but there was no formal investigation and it looks like there won't be. The aircraft and bodies were never recovered as they went down in deep water. All sorts of "speaking ill of the dead" stuff went round afterwards, like the Captain's validation had expired, they weren't night current, they had been flying all day etc etc. Not nice things to even ponder, let alone actually state.
Impossible to prove or otherwise as a total blackout descended on Pan African immediately. Sort of makes you wonder about their previous links with the CIA and Air America doesn't it ?
Rumours abound, but there was no formal investigation and it looks like there won't be. The aircraft and bodies were never recovered as they went down in deep water. All sorts of "speaking ill of the dead" stuff went round afterwards, like the Captain's validation had expired, they weren't night current, they had been flying all day etc etc. Not nice things to even ponder, let alone actually state.
Impossible to prove or otherwise as a total blackout descended on Pan African immediately. Sort of makes you wonder about their previous links with the CIA and Air America doesn't it ?
A Bell 412 can crash...kill four people...the bodies not recovered...the wreckage not recovered....and no investigation?
I know Nigeria is a bit backward....but I thought OLOG was supposed to be a World Leader in our industry?
The Validation had run out....that is paperwork.
The crew had flown all day long....then had the night standby...that is matter of course for some outfits. Since when does duty times matter.
The Crew was not night current...that too is debatable issue if the crew was IFR current (....and proficient). We know how that works in the Delta region.
Did OLOG not have one of the world's oldest 412's on that operation....one that spent almost a year in the hangar after passing an Air Log inspection and overhaul in Ghana? Was that the same aircraft?
I know Nigeria is a bit backward....but I thought OLOG was supposed to be a World Leader in our industry?
The Validation had run out....that is paperwork.
The crew had flown all day long....then had the night standby...that is matter of course for some outfits. Since when does duty times matter.
The Crew was not night current...that too is debatable issue if the crew was IFR current (....and proficient). We know how that works in the Delta region.
Did OLOG not have one of the world's oldest 412's on that operation....one that spent almost a year in the hangar after passing an Air Log inspection and overhaul in Ghana? Was that the same aircraft?
Nigerian In Law
SASless,
I heard the aircraft was nearly new, but as usual that can't be proved.
You're right about most of the rumoured things being academic, but the NCAA have really tried to tighten up over the past couple of years. They have these NCARs which are copied from JAR. The solids would really hit the air conditioning if any or all of those rumoured factors were found to be true. That's why people are gobsmacked that no formal investigation has taken place, or if it has no results have been published.
Pan African don't do that contract any more, ChevronTexaco are using a Bristow S-76 for it now. Same group of companies, different paint scheme.
Strange..................
I heard the aircraft was nearly new, but as usual that can't be proved.
You're right about most of the rumoured things being academic, but the NCAA have really tried to tighten up over the past couple of years. They have these NCARs which are copied from JAR. The solids would really hit the air conditioning if any or all of those rumoured factors were found to be true. That's why people are gobsmacked that no formal investigation has taken place, or if it has no results have been published.
Pan African don't do that contract any more, ChevronTexaco are using a Bristow S-76 for it now. Same group of companies, different paint scheme.
Strange..................
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About the Pan African accident, it was investigated, it seems like the sliding door came off in flight and hit the tailrotor. Your worst nightmare, a tailrotor failure at night over water. The Captain was a most qualified, and current pilot. He had many years flying this model A/C. He was a good friend as well, and this was his last flight in country, he was returning to the GOM. The A/C was fairly new, a couple of years old, the lastest model of the 412 series. I hope this helps.
Gomex,
Did the investigation determine why the door came off? Was the wreckage recovered? The company take any post-accident action to prevent that from happening again? Wasn't there some concern about flight following and how the aircraft was found to be overdue? As I recall...there were several questions about the overall situation.
Having been at Escravos on that same standby....I know how tough a flight that would have been....bad weather...night...going to PHC in the dark and bad weather with all the masts sticking up.....not something I would ever want to do.
Does Air Log (OLOG) publish results of accident investigations internally for other pilots and mechanics to read and learn from? I would imagine, just as the US Army does.....that would be a very good safety practice that would pay dividends.
Did the investigation determine why the door came off? Was the wreckage recovered? The company take any post-accident action to prevent that from happening again? Wasn't there some concern about flight following and how the aircraft was found to be overdue? As I recall...there were several questions about the overall situation.
Having been at Escravos on that same standby....I know how tough a flight that would have been....bad weather...night...going to PHC in the dark and bad weather with all the masts sticking up.....not something I would ever want to do.
Does Air Log (OLOG) publish results of accident investigations internally for other pilots and mechanics to read and learn from? I would imagine, just as the US Army does.....that would be a very good safety practice that would pay dividends.
B412 WA
Gentlemen,
There seems to be some confusion here. One post says that the a/c, bodies were not recovered & no investigation took place whilst another says that the cabin sliding door parted company with the airframe & took the t/r away. Which is it?, anybody in the know care to comment! Was the FDR recovered even?
Regards, ambi
There seems to be some confusion here. One post says that the a/c, bodies were not recovered & no investigation took place whilst another says that the cabin sliding door parted company with the airframe & took the t/r away. Which is it?, anybody in the know care to comment! Was the FDR recovered even?
Regards, ambi
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I heard three different versions, all supposedly the real inside information about what was going on in the aftermath of this accident, so that there is some confusion.
Usually it seems that a report does get completed on each accident in Nigeria but trying to find it, ah! So, nothing unusual so far in this.
From what I have been told, the patient's corpse was recovered, along with one of the rear doors bearing witness marks from the tail rotor.
The other victims and the wreckage are in deep water, reportedly around 4-5 thousand feet. Supposedly an unsuccessful side-scan sonar search was attempted and then abandoned so that the present location of the wreckage is unknown. On the other hand, one fellow told me that the wreckage had been located and viewed by some sort of remotely controlled mini-submersible; this doesn't seem to be the case.
I was told that the a/c was not fittted with an autopilot, so that one accident scenario was that something may have distracted the crew's attention, when they hit the surface, detaching the door which then hit the tail rotor. The patient, who had a hand injury, was accompanied by another oil worker; there was no flight nurse or third crewmember so that the flight crew may have been required to do something for the patient and his companion.
Another scenario is that the door was mis-rigged and came off in flight, taking out the tail rotor.
A third scenario is that the door was opened or came open after being struck by some unsecured object in the cabin so that it then came off and took out the tail rotor.
The a/c had, reportedly, not been fully fuelled and the rig's fuel stopped pumping for some reason so that they were on their way to another rig to take fuel for the trip to Port Harcourt when the accident occurred.
This is about all that I have heard about this accident. Given that one is often told, by some supposed insider, exactly what is going on, only later to be told by the same insider something completely different, who can really say what went on. The people who know something are either dead or not talking.
I think we can assume that steps will be taken to prevent a similar accident in future without necessarily satisfying the curiousity aroused or, more importantly, letting people in the aviation community learn what went on for their edification.
Nigeria has an unfortunate history of keeping secrets about accidents. That may be one reason for its high accident record. I think you could put that down to a non-safety culture, one that is changing only slowly.
Usually it seems that a report does get completed on each accident in Nigeria but trying to find it, ah! So, nothing unusual so far in this.
From what I have been told, the patient's corpse was recovered, along with one of the rear doors bearing witness marks from the tail rotor.
The other victims and the wreckage are in deep water, reportedly around 4-5 thousand feet. Supposedly an unsuccessful side-scan sonar search was attempted and then abandoned so that the present location of the wreckage is unknown. On the other hand, one fellow told me that the wreckage had been located and viewed by some sort of remotely controlled mini-submersible; this doesn't seem to be the case.
I was told that the a/c was not fittted with an autopilot, so that one accident scenario was that something may have distracted the crew's attention, when they hit the surface, detaching the door which then hit the tail rotor. The patient, who had a hand injury, was accompanied by another oil worker; there was no flight nurse or third crewmember so that the flight crew may have been required to do something for the patient and his companion.
Another scenario is that the door was mis-rigged and came off in flight, taking out the tail rotor.
A third scenario is that the door was opened or came open after being struck by some unsecured object in the cabin so that it then came off and took out the tail rotor.
The a/c had, reportedly, not been fully fuelled and the rig's fuel stopped pumping for some reason so that they were on their way to another rig to take fuel for the trip to Port Harcourt when the accident occurred.
This is about all that I have heard about this accident. Given that one is often told, by some supposed insider, exactly what is going on, only later to be told by the same insider something completely different, who can really say what went on. The people who know something are either dead or not talking.
I think we can assume that steps will be taken to prevent a similar accident in future without necessarily satisfying the curiousity aroused or, more importantly, letting people in the aviation community learn what went on for their edification.
Nigeria has an unfortunate history of keeping secrets about accidents. That may be one reason for its high accident record. I think you could put that down to a non-safety culture, one that is changing only slowly.
B412 WA
To quote 'Private Eye', "that's all right then"!
Those in the know with the authority/ability? to effect change/improvement as a result of this accident will continue to climb the 'corporate greasy pole' & to push the 'elixir' of safety case management whilst the glaring operational/infrastructure deficiencies of the Niger Delta will be ignored. i.e. non-existent flight following/poorly trained (for the most part) radio operators both rig based & Osubi based/only one radio frequency for the passing of position reports, ATIS, weather, airways clearances, level requests, Osubi airfield traffic etc.,etc.,/total lack of radar cover/poor separation/no automatic rebro. facilities for flight following purposes/total lack of SAR units.
But then again the oil co's & operators have only been in Nigeria for 40+ years & we all know it takes time to effect change/improvement!, & to provide the facilities that exist elsewhere in W.Africa & for the most part they don't have oil!
with fraternal greetings, ambi
Those in the know with the authority/ability? to effect change/improvement as a result of this accident will continue to climb the 'corporate greasy pole' & to push the 'elixir' of safety case management whilst the glaring operational/infrastructure deficiencies of the Niger Delta will be ignored. i.e. non-existent flight following/poorly trained (for the most part) radio operators both rig based & Osubi based/only one radio frequency for the passing of position reports, ATIS, weather, airways clearances, level requests, Osubi airfield traffic etc.,etc.,/total lack of radar cover/poor separation/no automatic rebro. facilities for flight following purposes/total lack of SAR units.
But then again the oil co's & operators have only been in Nigeria for 40+ years & we all know it takes time to effect change/improvement!, & to provide the facilities that exist elsewhere in W.Africa & for the most part they don't have oil!
with fraternal greetings, ambi
Ambi...
Don't sugarcoat things...tell us what you really think!
I read that post....and being my usual self...wanted to find something to argue with....but failed.
Chuks sums it up....the aircraft remains on the bottom. Despite the underwater locater installed on the aircraft that is supposed to be good for 30 days pinging its little heart away. We can work wellheads at that depth....don't tell me the equipment and technology does not exist to recover that wreckage if the company wanted to. Without the wreckage....just how can one arrive at a determination of what happened.
An injured hand? That flight could not wait until daylight?
That aircraft as I recall had only attitude hold and did not have flight director (autopilot) installed. Witness marks for the cabin door stiking the tail rotor.....any number of things having nothing to do with a cabin door coming open...could put the cabin door into the tail rotor as a result of impact with the water or after a catastophic inflight failure.
Sounds like another case of Risk Management....the cost of that accident in "dollars" is considered a cost of doing business by the oil company and OLOG. The crew and passengers were merely incidental to the matter.
We hear of the North Sea checkerboard....and nothing in Nigeria for SAR. Same oil companies.....same safety case....yeah, right!
Don't sugarcoat things...tell us what you really think!
I read that post....and being my usual self...wanted to find something to argue with....but failed.
Chuks sums it up....the aircraft remains on the bottom. Despite the underwater locater installed on the aircraft that is supposed to be good for 30 days pinging its little heart away. We can work wellheads at that depth....don't tell me the equipment and technology does not exist to recover that wreckage if the company wanted to. Without the wreckage....just how can one arrive at a determination of what happened.
An injured hand? That flight could not wait until daylight?
That aircraft as I recall had only attitude hold and did not have flight director (autopilot) installed. Witness marks for the cabin door stiking the tail rotor.....any number of things having nothing to do with a cabin door coming open...could put the cabin door into the tail rotor as a result of impact with the water or after a catastophic inflight failure.
Sounds like another case of Risk Management....the cost of that accident in "dollars" is considered a cost of doing business by the oil company and OLOG. The crew and passengers were merely incidental to the matter.
We hear of the North Sea checkerboard....and nothing in Nigeria for SAR. Same oil companies.....same safety case....yeah, right!
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Sasless
The same came be said of the GOM, same oil companies and same results. The oil companies knows what works, but do not want to pay for it. The only reason that the oil companies pay for the better equipment and SAR, in the North Sea, is the oil field labor is union. The labor unions tells the oil companies what equipment they will ride in, not the other way. Just my thoughts.
The same came be said of the GOM, same oil companies and same results. The oil companies knows what works, but do not want to pay for it. The only reason that the oil companies pay for the better equipment and SAR, in the North Sea, is the oil field labor is union. The labor unions tells the oil companies what equipment they will ride in, not the other way. Just my thoughts.
Gomex...
Are you telling me the workforce in the Gulf Of Mexico are less concerned with their own personal safety than their counterparts in the North Sea oil industry?
Logically, would it not follow....that the safety standards adopted by an oil company in one location....in this case the North Sea....not be carried across their operations worldwide....if they were sincerely interested in operating to the highest standard possible?
If that is true....why therefore do we see such disparity in safety standards for the same oil company throughout the world? Are American lives any less valuable than say....Scottish or Dutch or English lives?
More importantly....what do we as an industry....the helicopter industry do....to improve the situation?
Are you telling me the workforce in the Gulf Of Mexico are less concerned with their own personal safety than their counterparts in the North Sea oil industry?
Logically, would it not follow....that the safety standards adopted by an oil company in one location....in this case the North Sea....not be carried across their operations worldwide....if they were sincerely interested in operating to the highest standard possible?
If that is true....why therefore do we see such disparity in safety standards for the same oil company throughout the world? Are American lives any less valuable than say....Scottish or Dutch or English lives?
More importantly....what do we as an industry....the helicopter industry do....to improve the situation?
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HPB,
At least I ave visit and work in much of the continent of Africa for more of 30 years, From your post you stay here for only about 30 days. Masny people visit a country on holiday for longer than this and they are certainly not claiming to know as much as you babble in your posts.
It's like NEO says, some people talk the talk and others walk the walk - but there are also those who only walk the short walk right out of the door, never to return, like you
Naturally in your own country there is no things wrong, no violence, no corruption, nothing. After all who heard of any corrupt Irish American politician?
At least I ave visit and work in much of the continent of Africa for more of 30 years, From your post you stay here for only about 30 days. Masny people visit a country on holiday for longer than this and they are certainly not claiming to know as much as you babble in your posts.
It's like NEO says, some people talk the talk and others walk the walk - but there are also those who only walk the short walk right out of the door, never to return, like you
Naturally in your own country there is no things wrong, no violence, no corruption, nothing. After all who heard of any corrupt Irish American politician?
Mayotte,
I find your view shortsighted....no one said we live in a perfect world....in fact...if you read the threads on this forum...you will see plenty of criticism of the offshore situation in the Gulf of Mexico by pilots flying there.
Trying to suggest problems in West Africa...particularly in Nigeria are in anyway lessened by problems that exist elsewhere is not logical at all.
Problems are problems wherever they exist......and no matter what you want to think...there are problems aplenty in Nigeria. The issue is on how to improve the situation there.
With any experience....one can look back at the Lagos Int'l airport and see tremendous improvements over the past few years. It can be done....with the proper political support from within the government.
I find your view shortsighted....no one said we live in a perfect world....in fact...if you read the threads on this forum...you will see plenty of criticism of the offshore situation in the Gulf of Mexico by pilots flying there.
Trying to suggest problems in West Africa...particularly in Nigeria are in anyway lessened by problems that exist elsewhere is not logical at all.
Problems are problems wherever they exist......and no matter what you want to think...there are problems aplenty in Nigeria. The issue is on how to improve the situation there.
With any experience....one can look back at the Lagos Int'l airport and see tremendous improvements over the past few years. It can be done....with the proper political support from within the government.
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Safety costs money!
One problem I keep coming across is that there is no real, immediate way to absolutely prove to someone that you prevented an accident. So, the money you spend on safety can be taken to be an unnecessary expense, as it often is by the bottom-feeders in the aviation world.
Just look at the way people treat their vehicles in Nigeria. Who is goofy enough to strip down a perfectly-running vehicle just because it hits a certain mileage, throwing away perfectly good parts to replace them with new? A Mercedes hits 10,001 kilometres and falls over dead? Nah! Run that bad boy until it begins to knock; now you know it needs maintenance.
Same with the aircraft and the crews. You just extend the inspection intervals a little bit and then a little bit more, run the crews past their sim dates or over their duty times, ignore the deterioration in the engine performance... this sort of thing saves a lot of money and doesn't usually cause an accident, does it? This sort of attitude just kind of sifts in everywhere, like Harmattan dust.
Just look at the way people treat their vehicles in Nigeria. Who is goofy enough to strip down a perfectly-running vehicle just because it hits a certain mileage, throwing away perfectly good parts to replace them with new? A Mercedes hits 10,001 kilometres and falls over dead? Nah! Run that bad boy until it begins to knock; now you know it needs maintenance.
Same with the aircraft and the crews. You just extend the inspection intervals a little bit and then a little bit more, run the crews past their sim dates or over their duty times, ignore the deterioration in the engine performance... this sort of thing saves a lot of money and doesn't usually cause an accident, does it? This sort of attitude just kind of sifts in everywhere, like Harmattan dust.
Chuks,
Do I detect a bit of cynicisim there? Kinda like the 212 inspection scheme that went from 1200 hour inspections....with complete strip down and full re-paint....to 3200 hour pat them on the back and send'em back out? As the airframe hours climbed towards 40,000 hours?
That dust can get up yer nose can't it?
Do I detect a bit of cynicisim there? Kinda like the 212 inspection scheme that went from 1200 hour inspections....with complete strip down and full re-paint....to 3200 hour pat them on the back and send'em back out? As the airframe hours climbed towards 40,000 hours?
That dust can get up yer nose can't it?
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Money is king...
It's cynicism, but only in the proper sense of the word, looking at things the way a dog would.
I was absolutely shocked to discover that most companies are in the flying game to make money. Well, that was about 30 years ago; I have got over it by now.
So, yes, there is always this tug-of-war between the bottom feeders and the outfits operating to higher standards. Sometimes the rope snaps (that is to say, there is an accident) and someone lands on his butt. And that's not always a bottom feeder, oddly enough.
I have voted with my feet a few times, as have most of us, I guess.
The situation in Nigeria is changing rapidly with CHC moving in and one thing and another. Since I am fixed-wing I am mostly a spectator to this but I am still somewhat involved. Most of you guys are committed.
(The difference between involved and committed: To give you ham and eggs the chicken was involved but the pig was committed.)
Each individual decision, regulators, management and ops, goes to make up part of the overall scene, especially how safe or unsafe it is. The more sense of empowerment, the higher the level of safety. Of course, now and then someone finds himself contemplating a sudden career change, meaning he just found the boundary of the possible. It can get pretty interesting to find a balance in all of this!
I was absolutely shocked to discover that most companies are in the flying game to make money. Well, that was about 30 years ago; I have got over it by now.
So, yes, there is always this tug-of-war between the bottom feeders and the outfits operating to higher standards. Sometimes the rope snaps (that is to say, there is an accident) and someone lands on his butt. And that's not always a bottom feeder, oddly enough.
I have voted with my feet a few times, as have most of us, I guess.
The situation in Nigeria is changing rapidly with CHC moving in and one thing and another. Since I am fixed-wing I am mostly a spectator to this but I am still somewhat involved. Most of you guys are committed.
(The difference between involved and committed: To give you ham and eggs the chicken was involved but the pig was committed.)
Each individual decision, regulators, management and ops, goes to make up part of the overall scene, especially how safe or unsafe it is. The more sense of empowerment, the higher the level of safety. Of course, now and then someone finds himself contemplating a sudden career change, meaning he just found the boundary of the possible. It can get pretty interesting to find a balance in all of this!
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The news (or lack of it) as to what really happened to the OLOG 412 saddens, but doesn't surprise me. There have been too many unanswered questions in Nigeria over the years. Some of them are plain cover-ups where there are so many answers nobody knows which (if any) is the true one. The 412 sounds like that.
Doesn't any PPRuNer know a reporter on Fox News, BBC, Washington Post, The Guardian, Canard Enchaine, Flight International, Rotor & Wing who wants to look deeper into these things? Accidents happen everywhere, but Nigeria has a bad reputation for accidents where the true cause is never known.
It wasn't always like that. Back in 1978 a Bristow Wessex lost its tail rotor and crashed with (miraculously) only minor injuries. This was in the days before OLOG when Bristow was a company with integrity. Despite weeks of looking the tail rotor was never discovered. Many years later it was found and the late Mike Griffin, a man of great integrity, would tell anyone who was interested all about the accident investigation and the actual cause of the accident. However, there was a much less thorough investigation as to who murdered Sheila Le Grys in her house in the Shell camp in Warri about the same time.
There have been many crashes in Nigeria the causes of which are unresolved or obfuscated, some of which took the lives of good friends, colleagues and aquaintances. They have involved different helicopter companies, airlines and oil companies. None are blameless.
What was the real cause of the ADC crash into Lekki Lagoon and what was really behind the Aero Contractors Twin Otter crash into the side of a mountain?
Why did a Bristow Bell 212 flying out of Eket for Mobil ditch when apparently serviceable, resulting in fatalities? Even worse, why has nobody yet been prosecuted over the death of Monty Hartley flying a Bell 212 of Bristow from Port Harcourt? What was the real cause of the Aero Dauphin 5N-BBS crashing at Brass whilst flying for NAOC? Does anybody seriously believe the official report?
It's not just Nigeria. Why has there been nothing on the Heli Union SA365C3 which landed in the water in Douala (at least that one did not result in any fatalities.
And now this 412 fatal accident. Why do we allow these things to just rest with so many unanswered questions? ambidextrous, SASless and the others are right. Nigeria from a safety point of view is a world disgrace. There are no SAR facilities, too many unmarked masts, too much reliance on (illegal) GPS approaches, lousy communications. The list just goes on and on. What do the oil companies do about it? Nothing. Yes, it can be argued that many of these things are the responsibility of government, but where governments are unwilling to act, those same ouil companies who insist on all sorts of safety measures in 'first world' countries are quite happy to let things continue as they are in Nigeria, safe in the knowledge that when accidents happen, there will be little publicity in the world press, so they can continue saving a few dollars blood money on their transport budgets.
I have spent many happy years in Africa, but I'm not blind as to all the things that are so terribly wrong here. For those who have never worked here and are being asked questions as to your flying experience and accident history, maybe you should ask about the accident history of the company you're thinking of working for and whether they have any accidents whose causes have never been satisfactorily explained. Ask what measures your intended company has in place to rescue you if you sufer a catastrophic failure in a helicopter when you're out on a night medivac at the height of the rainy season. Ask how good their communications are when you're 100 miles offshore at night on a rescue mission. Ask if they have any proper medical facilities available near to where you're going to live if you suffer a serious illness at 2.00 in the morning. Ask if they have emergency repatriation facilities to a first world country if you're seriously injured and need to get decent medical care. Don't just come here for the money. Despite the money, many Nigerians have left to live and work in freezing Europe, paying high taxes just so they could have access to all those facilities I have just mentioned, whilst they also feel happier that their families are in a more secure environment. If you want to come here, come for the warm weather, to experience a different culture and broaden your horizons. But before you do, think about all the things mentioned on this thread and weigh them in the balance.
Sorry, don't usually go on so much, but the lack of any proper information as to what killed the 412 people and the lack of any changes as a result of it, have touched a raw nerve.
Doesn't any PPRuNer know a reporter on Fox News, BBC, Washington Post, The Guardian, Canard Enchaine, Flight International, Rotor & Wing who wants to look deeper into these things? Accidents happen everywhere, but Nigeria has a bad reputation for accidents where the true cause is never known.
It wasn't always like that. Back in 1978 a Bristow Wessex lost its tail rotor and crashed with (miraculously) only minor injuries. This was in the days before OLOG when Bristow was a company with integrity. Despite weeks of looking the tail rotor was never discovered. Many years later it was found and the late Mike Griffin, a man of great integrity, would tell anyone who was interested all about the accident investigation and the actual cause of the accident. However, there was a much less thorough investigation as to who murdered Sheila Le Grys in her house in the Shell camp in Warri about the same time.
There have been many crashes in Nigeria the causes of which are unresolved or obfuscated, some of which took the lives of good friends, colleagues and aquaintances. They have involved different helicopter companies, airlines and oil companies. None are blameless.
What was the real cause of the ADC crash into Lekki Lagoon and what was really behind the Aero Contractors Twin Otter crash into the side of a mountain?
Why did a Bristow Bell 212 flying out of Eket for Mobil ditch when apparently serviceable, resulting in fatalities? Even worse, why has nobody yet been prosecuted over the death of Monty Hartley flying a Bell 212 of Bristow from Port Harcourt? What was the real cause of the Aero Dauphin 5N-BBS crashing at Brass whilst flying for NAOC? Does anybody seriously believe the official report?
It's not just Nigeria. Why has there been nothing on the Heli Union SA365C3 which landed in the water in Douala (at least that one did not result in any fatalities.
And now this 412 fatal accident. Why do we allow these things to just rest with so many unanswered questions? ambidextrous, SASless and the others are right. Nigeria from a safety point of view is a world disgrace. There are no SAR facilities, too many unmarked masts, too much reliance on (illegal) GPS approaches, lousy communications. The list just goes on and on. What do the oil companies do about it? Nothing. Yes, it can be argued that many of these things are the responsibility of government, but where governments are unwilling to act, those same ouil companies who insist on all sorts of safety measures in 'first world' countries are quite happy to let things continue as they are in Nigeria, safe in the knowledge that when accidents happen, there will be little publicity in the world press, so they can continue saving a few dollars blood money on their transport budgets.
I have spent many happy years in Africa, but I'm not blind as to all the things that are so terribly wrong here. For those who have never worked here and are being asked questions as to your flying experience and accident history, maybe you should ask about the accident history of the company you're thinking of working for and whether they have any accidents whose causes have never been satisfactorily explained. Ask what measures your intended company has in place to rescue you if you sufer a catastrophic failure in a helicopter when you're out on a night medivac at the height of the rainy season. Ask how good their communications are when you're 100 miles offshore at night on a rescue mission. Ask if they have any proper medical facilities available near to where you're going to live if you suffer a serious illness at 2.00 in the morning. Ask if they have emergency repatriation facilities to a first world country if you're seriously injured and need to get decent medical care. Don't just come here for the money. Despite the money, many Nigerians have left to live and work in freezing Europe, paying high taxes just so they could have access to all those facilities I have just mentioned, whilst they also feel happier that their families are in a more secure environment. If you want to come here, come for the warm weather, to experience a different culture and broaden your horizons. But before you do, think about all the things mentioned on this thread and weigh them in the balance.
Sorry, don't usually go on so much, but the lack of any proper information as to what killed the 412 people and the lack of any changes as a result of it, have touched a raw nerve.
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Four out of six of those mentioned are pretty well known, at least on the bush telegraph.
The ADC crash: The F/O rolled the A/C into an unrecoverable position while making a traffic avoidance manoeuvre.
The Aero Twotter crash: It was taken to be the case that the wrong waypoint (Abuja VOR rather than RWY 22 threshold) was used, resulting in a 1.8-mile error. If you look at the VOR22 plate, that extra 1.8 miles away from the threshold puts you just in front of the last hill, which is where they hit. The ILS G/S and DME were U/S at the time and the weather was heavy thunderstorms.
The ADC crash: The F/O rolled the A/C into an unrecoverable position while making a traffic avoidance manoeuvre.
The Aero Twotter crash: It was taken to be the case that the wrong waypoint (Abuja VOR rather than RWY 22 threshold) was used, resulting in a 1.8-mile error. If you look at the VOR22 plate, that extra 1.8 miles away from the threshold puts you just in front of the last hill, which is where they hit. The ILS G/S and DME were U/S at the time and the weather was heavy thunderstorms.
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chuks
Those answers were the official line, but what of all the other things? The pages of uncleared defects, the hydraulic leaks?
What of the Memo from the-then Chief Pilot fixed wing of Aero about approaches into Abuja.
Yes, I too have heard all the rumours on the bush telegraph, but why has nobody ever come up with proper satisfactory answers. They may not bring Monty, Mike or Eugene back, but they may help to prevent them from happening again
Those answers were the official line, but what of all the other things? The pages of uncleared defects, the hydraulic leaks?
What of the Memo from the-then Chief Pilot fixed wing of Aero about approaches into Abuja.
Yes, I too have heard all the rumours on the bush telegraph, but why has nobody ever come up with proper satisfactory answers. They may not bring Monty, Mike or Eugene back, but they may help to prevent them from happening again