(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).
Last edited by DRPAM007; 14th Jun 2009 at 16:05.