Wings Aviation Airplane Missing!
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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.)
"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.)
Last edited by DRPAM007; 26th Mar 2008 at 19:51.
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The latent resident Pathogen is still there!
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
Engr. Effanga. Offiong- (Deputy Executive Director)
Engr. Ajeye, Nuhu D.-NASI- USA(Contributing writer
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
Engr. Effanga. Offiong- (Deputy Executive Director)
Engr. Ajeye, Nuhu D.-NASI- USA(Contributing writer
Last edited by DRPAM007; 2nd Apr 2008 at 23:47.
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What can't they make EPIRB's mandatory?
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.
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.
Last edited by DRPAM007; 14th Jun 2009 at 16:03.
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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
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
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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??
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??
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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.
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.
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infra red camera
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 
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
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 occuri 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
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(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).
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.
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I really dont know what to say.......
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.
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.
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Corruption Ridden Country
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.
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.
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Captain Joji on Missing B1900
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
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
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The boy who cried wolf.
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).
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.
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).
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.
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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.
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Not just a Nigerian problem...
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.
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.
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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 just wanted to confirm he was onboard..
Thanks in advance
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
just wanted to confirm he was onboard..Thanks in advance
