Sosoliso down in Port Harcourt

[Qbkair]

Just heard over the wires that a Sosoliso
DC-9 went down on approach into Port Harcourt [DNPO] this afternoon. Any futher info?:(

[AlternativeProcedure]

Someone's just called confirming the same thing. This really cant be good for Aviation in Nigeria at all. I really hope people survived

[soups]

102 dead.... as they say so far but this is nigeria....

[akounamatata]

yes it s too bad.102 on board.it s really geting too much!!
we do understand that there was some weather around the field,but no rain other the rnw.the controler saw an explosion.likely on impact.
again i do not expect much from search and rescue or ivestigating team.it will all go has a forgoten case.
i knew the pilot well.and just like most pilot around he had his good and bad time with the upper management.pressure could b factor

[Rani]

Not meaning any disrespect to the deceased...But is anyone here, with all honesty, a bit surprised?

Obasanjo: Wake up and hire the right people. Let us start with a technocrat of an aviation minister and the LONG-awaited deep + mean reforms of the aviation industry, complete with airport, agency, and navigation agendas.

Wait, why dont we start by a categorical NO for your re-election in 2007.

Nothing but sympathies for the people who die in vain.

[jirginsama]

103 confirmed dead.Reports indicate the wx in PH was quite bad. Any body flying that route 2day?
These are really sad times for all of us, especially the industry.
May their souls R.I.P

[enijose1]

May God help us all, this is really sad. This is really bad for the industry. People are saying could be a bomb, the story is all three accidents were explosions, i don't believe that though. They should arrest these NCAA people and shoot them all, they are murderers!like my father would say. They take bribe and sign unserviceable aircrafts out, they kill people with their own greed. God help us. I heard they were mostly students. This is really sad. What is really happening here? Any info?

Even if it was weather, how bad could it have been, commercial pressure? \"Company hidden policy\"?

[SASless]

Ah yes the NCAA signs them off....and the owners sign them off...and the engineers sign them off...and the pilots sign them off.....and we buy tickets to fly on them knowing this.


Now just who is wrong here?

[Kopeloi]

enijose1
Quite a strong text about NCAA. Why cant you wait and learn what were the real reasons for the accident?

[Gunship]

My sincere condolonces to all concerned.

Rumour from TIP was he saw the impact on the news and it looked like the aircraft flew wheels up straight into the ground ... as I say the rumours from TIP 0530 this morning.

Sad .. very sad .. now will someone do anything about it after the second fatal accident ? :mad: :mad: :mad:

RIP :sad:

Plane \'struck by lightning\'
10/12/2005 20:31 - (SA)

Lagos - A Nigerian jet airliner plunged in flames onto the tarmac at Port Harcourt airport on Saturday killing 103 people, all but seven of those on board, an aviation official said.

There was no official confirmation of the cause of the crash, but witnesses and officials said it had overshot the runway during an electrical storm and may have been struck by lightning.

\"There was an accident at about 14:08 GMT. It involved Sosoliso flight 1145,\" said Sam Adurogoboye, a spokesperson for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

\"The aircraft was a DC-9 with 110 souls on board. Seven were rescued. The rest died,\" he added.

An official at Port Harcourt airport, who asked not to be named, said that a large number of those who were killed were young students returning home for the Christmas holidays.

The flight had arrived from the federal capital Abuja and was landing in Port Harcourt, the main centre of Nigeria\'s oil industry and a base for many international companies.

There was no immediate confirmation of any foreign nationals among the casualties.

A police spokesperson said that 57 bodies had been recovered and that the seven casualties had been taken to hospital.

Horrific scene

\"Rescue operations are still ongoing,\" police spokesperson deputy commissioner Haz Iwendi told AFP.

An executive with an international security consultancy with staff at the airport said: \"What we are hearing is that the plane was struck by lightning about 40 or 50 metres from touching down.

\"The fuel in the wing caught fire and it exploded,\" he added.

An airport worker described a horrific scene at Port Harcourt, saying: \"The place where I\'m standing now is scattered with corpses.\"

He said the dead - \"many of them burned beyond recognition\" - were being evacuated to mortuaries. The plane had shattered \"into many pieces, scattered all over the ground\".

Nigerian airports have come under criticism in recent months following a string of near-misses - including one at Port Harcourt in which an Air France passenger jet crashed into a herd of cows on the runway.

International airlines briefly suspended flights at Lagos\' international airport because of holes in the runway.

In October, an Abuja-bound Boeing 737-200 crashed after taking off from the airport at Lagos, Nigeria\'s biggest city, killing 117 people on board the Bellview Airlines flight.

The exact cause of that crash remains unclear, but US investigators sent to help with the investigation ruled out terrorism, an official at Nigeria\'s Aviation Ministry said last month.

Nigerian-owned Sosoliso Airlines was established in 1994. It began scheduled flights as a domestic airline in July 2000 and now flies to six Nigerian cities, according to its website. - AP/AFP


Link (http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1848938,00.html)

70 Children killed

Port Harcourt - A Nigerian jetliner carrying 110 people - including dozens of school children - crashed in stormy weather as it approached this southern city, killing at least 103 who were on board.

It was Nigeria\'s second major airplane accident in seven weeks, raising questions about air safety in Africa\'s most populous nation.

Charred bodies and pieces of the wrecked plane were strewn around the disaster site, where rescue workers found only seven survivors who were rushed to an area hospital, Nigerian civil aviation authority spokesperson Sam Adurogboye said.

\"They were breathing and were taken to the hospital. They are responding to treatment,\" he said, but did not say if the survivors were passengers or crew members.

The Sosoliso Airlines\' McDonnell Douglas DC-9 crashed about midday Saturday as it approached the oil centre of Port Harcourt, on arrival from the Nigerian capital Abuja. The cause of the accident was unknown.

An airport worker said burned bodies lay across the landing area after the plane broke into pieces upon impact.

\"The place where I\'m standing now is scattered with corpses.\" The dead - \"many of them burned beyond recognition\" - were being taken to mortuaries, he said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with reporters.

Frantic family members at the airport said the plane had been carrying 75 school children home for Christmas holidays, all of them aged between 12 and 16. They were pupils at the Loyola Jesuit school in Abuja.

Adurogboye said there had been stormy weather around the airport at the time of the crash, and witnesses said they saw lightning flashes as the plane approached the runway. There had been seven crew members on board, Adurogboye said.

\"It is a national tragedy for us,\" said Femi Fani-Kayode, a spokesperson for Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. \"We need to take all the necessary measures to make sure this sort of thing stops happening.\"

Asked whether this raised questions about air safety in Nigeria, he said: \"of course, people would be concerned, in view of the circumstances.\"

Information minister Frank Nweke said Sosoliso Airlines had a reputation for being efficient and reliable.

Established in 1994, Nigerian-owned Sosoliso began scheduled flights as a domestic airline in July 2000 and now flies to six Nigerian cities, according to its website.

\"To my knowledge they haven\'t had any incidents since they started their operation,\" Nweke said. \"So this has come as a surprise, a very big surprise.\"

Sosoliso spokesperson Simbo Olorufemi in Lagos would not comment on details of the crash beyond confirming it had occurred, and saying \"most of the passengers might have lost their lives.\"

Nigerian airports also have come under criticism in recent months, following a string of near-misses and an incident in which an Air France passenger jet crashed into a herd of cows on the runway at Port Harcourt.

International airlines briefly suspended flights at Lagos\' international airport because of holes in the runway.

[Crepello]

This is an horrific tragedy, especially given the number of schoolchildren that would appear to have died. Condolences to all involved.

Without wishing to sound insensitive, is there any information on the status of PHC airport? I assume it's closed until further notice but need to get there tonight... would prefer to avoid the road journey. Thanks.,

Mods, apologies for the double-posting (with R&N) but it's most difficult to get information on this.

[Gunship]

Another three injured died in the mean time bringing the total of dead to 107.

Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday summoned airline executives and aviation officials to an emergency meeting after three fatal accidents in seven weeks cost a total 224 lives.

Obasanjo's spokesperson Remi Oyo said: "To underscore his grave and growing concern for the industry in the aftermath of yesterday's air crash in Port Harcourt, President Obasanjo is to personally preside over a meeting in Abuja of all stakeholders in Nigeria's aviation sector.

"The meeting, which will be convened in the shortest possible time, is to be attended by all airline operators in the country, aviation industry officials and other local and international aviation sector specialists," she added.

No date was given for the meeting.

On Saturday, a Sosoliso Airlines DC-9 passenger jet from Abuja crashed on arrival at Port Harcourt airport in the south of the country.

103 people were killed instantly, two more died of their injuries overnight and the remaining five on board were injured, officials said.

This crash came just seven weeks after another airliner exploded and ploughed into fields north of Lagos, killing all 117 on board, and a month after two pilots were killed when a light plane operated by a Nigerian oil company crashed outside the northern city of Kaduna.

In all, 1 019 people have been killed in 39 serious aviation accidents in Nigeria since 1991.

Following the Lagos crash Obasanjo accused Nigeria's aviation safety agencies of corruption and vowed to plug the "loop-holes" which have seen airport facilities deteriorate and allowed the country's private plane operators to use ageing, badly maintained jets on domestic routes.

"It is expected that conclusions reached at the meeting will help to give more practical effect to President Obasanjo avowed determination to carry out urgent and much needed reforms in Nigeria's aviation industry," Oyo's statement said. Link (http://www.fin24.co.za/articles/default/display_article.asp?Nav=ns&ArticleID=1518-24_1849127)

[chuks]

I would appreciate knowing the names of the flight crew involved in this accident, when that information has been released. That sort of thing isn't reported, usually, in the papers outside Nigeria, and I suppose that I must have known the people involved at some point during my time in Nigeria.

Thanks in advance for this information. My condolences to those who have lost people in this accident.

chuks

[jirginsama]

Crepello

PHC airport is still closed as at this afternoon.We had to fly to owerri which is close to PHC today. Dont know about tmrw.If you fly in to Owerri i will advse you sleep there and not travel to PH in the night by road.

[flyboy2]

ASN ACCIDENT DIGEST 2005-28

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 10 DEC 2005
Time: 14:08 local time
Type: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32
Operator: Sosoliso Airlines
Registration: 5N-BFD
Msn / C/n: 47562/685
Year built: 1972
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A jet engines
Crew: ? fatalities / 7 on board
Passengers: ? fatalities / 103 on board
Total: 103 fatalities / 110 on board
Airplane damage: Written off
Location: Port Harcourt (Nigeria)
Phase: Approach (APR)
Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: Abuja International Airport (ABV)
Destination airport: Port Harcourt Airport (PHC)
Flight number: 1145
Sosoliso Airlines flight 1145 was scheduled to depart Abuja for Port Harcourt at 10:00, but the flight was delayed to 13:26. As the aircraft descended, the crew were cleared to fly an approach to runway 21. During this approach the DC-9 struck terrain 1200 m short of the runway. The airplane broke up and caught fire.
The weather report at 14:00 (13:00Z) read: DNPO 101300Z 22009KT 9999 BKN013 FEW023CB 29/23 Q1007= [wind 220 degrees at 9kts, visibility >10000m 5-7 oktas cloud at 1300ft 0-2 oktas cloud at 2300ft with thunder clouds, temperature 29C dewpoint 23C QNH 1007hPa]
sources: AFP, AP, This Day, Guardian

[Crepello]

jirginsama

Thanks for the advice. I spoke to our company (oil major) logistics people and they arranged daylight road transport from Warri to PHC. An eventful and, frankly, entertaining journey... but there's no way I'd do it during hours of darkness.

Only concern now is if flightops will resume by Wednesday but jeez, compared to the parents of those poor kids from the Abuja school, I've nothing to whinge about.

Be safe, folks.

[enijose1]

well, what i said is very true, isn't that what they do, they are no different from hired assasins who take guns and kill people, and believe me, passengers who buy the tickets have no idea. The deal is, if the pilot would get on that airplane, as long as he is not suicidal, the aircraft is then serviceable, i would rather say 'manageable'. yes we don't know the cause of the accident, but God forbid, other accidents would happen if NCAA (or is it NAMA) don't start doing their job well. From a pilot who visited the scene, the power levers were at maximum position, and (but) the flaps were at zero (0). Anyone knows what that means for a DC-9. i would not think any aircraft can complete a proper go-around with flaps at zero. Believe me, a pilot who visited the scene said he saw that. The cockpit seems to be a little intact. Are we seeing a likelihood of pilot error here, thats plus all the other strss of windshear and all that. i don't know for a fact but does anyone know? Can a DC-9 go around with flaps retracted to zero.
The Captain on board was Captain Adebayo ,with another Ghanian pilot.
God grant the families Grace and strength to bear the loss.:sad: :mad:

The crash in KD for example, states that the pilots were alive for the few minutes before the explosion. it was confirmed that the copilot\'s voice was heard over the radio screaming for help. well, this is what i was told, i don\'t know about hear-says but there\'s always an element of truth or its just a complete rumour. Fire men were said to have reached the scene but had no water and they refused to help the pilot crying for help because they were scared of an explosion occuring. The second truck got there but had a problem with its hose. trying to sort that out, there came the explosion. tell me who is in charge of all this people.
with this accident, pilots would still, anyday, anytime want to fly, thats because they love their job. why not put people who love the job in these positions, and of course, an incorruptible head. you think thats impossible. The rest of us should really start praying. the end is very near! maybe a thousand more years to go, but remember, thats like a day in God\'s eyes, and we all know, so many things can happen in a day.
God help us all.

[Gunship]

flyboy2: During this approach the DC-9 struck terrain 1200 m short of the runway. The airplane broke up and caught fire.

And here is the latest from Nigeria :

A Nigerian jet which crashed killing 106 people on board veered off the runway immediately after landing in bad weather, hit a drainage ditch then tumbled over and ripped itself apart, senior officials said on Sunday at the scene.

"You can see that it hit this culvert. This is the reason for this accident.

"The man lost control because he hit this culvert," said Nigeria's transport minister Abiye Sekibo as he inspected the burnt remains of the DC-9 jet scattered along the runway at Port Harcourt airport.

Deputy inspector general Mike Okiro, head of operations for the Nigerian police, agreed with this explanation, adding that the plane had burst into flames as it tore itself up on the soft grass alongside the tarmac.

"If you were here yesterday (on Saturday) you would have seen pieces of human flesh all over the place, burnt beyond recognition," he told reporters.

The airport, the main international and domestic terminal in southern Nigeria and the oil-rich Niger Delta, remained closed to all other traffic.

Earlier, a state government spokesperson told AFP that the death toll from the disaster had climbed to 106 after three passengers died of their injuries.

Four more are still being treated in hospital.

God Bless Nigeria and their Transport Minister(s) making statements like that ! :mad: :mad: :mad:

[jirginsama]

Gunship, dont mind them.The aviation minister will also say his own side which will be different from what the transport minister said.Then The NCAA officials will state their own side of the story. So will the fire service.So will the AIB.So will the journalist.Someone might even suggest sosoliso ran into invisible cows.:rolleyes:

Enijose1 i think the time has come for us to pack our things and leave.Knowing these people and the stakeholders meeting The president has summoned tomorrow,only God knows the kind of things that will be said about us.

I think the time has come for us to form a formidable front.Nobody seems to want to step into Late Capt Jerry's shoes.

[ruma]

The ongoing audit set up by the government should start first from the ministry. The response time to the accident was slow. From the time of impact to when the tower was notified by a flying chopper in the vicinity of the general aviation where the accident happened! Only God knows where the controller was doing at that time for him not to have alerted the emergency department. Upon notification, The Fire truck must have been there with half its capacity or something like that. Second truck broke down while our children were roasted alive! It was wait and see game! Then explosion!!! Half of the dead should have walked out alive if not for what happened thereafter. May the souls of the departed rest in Peace. The last meeting we held with the current minister of aviation resulted in the pilots making a list of replacement/repair/calibrations of some aids-Including that of Port Harcourt-up till this time, no response from his office confirming the receipt of this demand to his office. Let us see again the outcome of tomorrow's bla bla.

[ZAZOO]

Children, innocent children...

I reside in Port, and let me just say here that the devastation on some families is just total concerning the kids.

Friend of mine lost their boy and girl, another friend frank lost his girl, I still see her shy smile everytime I pause to think of all this she was so beautiful I will miss her.
At my local club in Port its a black cloud hanging over it, about six couples have lost children and a former President of the club perished in the crash, we will miss him around here.

The other thing too is the question and remarks made when they see me around, what was it , why , how, and etc. Looks like I will join them now in asking these questions, used to be a time I had some response concerning this our industry, be it good or bad but now I shall start asking questions too. I owe it to them.

MAY THE SOULS OF ALL THE INNOCENT CHILDREN AND THE PASSENGERS AND CREW OF THE SOSOLISO CRASH REST IN PERFECT PEACE, AMEN

[Engine Noise]

Amen zazoo.
I learnt that the Nigerian President has ordered the suspension of some top directors in the avaition ministry including the permanent secretary.

[MysticFlyer]

ZAZOO my sincerest condolences.

Innocent children, they certainly will be wrapped in the grace of the Lord, surely as we speak. My heart goes out to the suffering of all involved. May the good Lord and His promise of an eternal life bring some condolences to your pain and sorrow, that's a white man's wish for you tonight, from SA!

Be faithfull and believe in the life hereafter, as we believe in a LIVING God, who have sent His Son to ALL of us!

Please do not hate, but be rejoined in our faith, that the best life is in the one hereafter.....

MF:ugh:

[Qbkair]

Thanks for the heartfelt condolences Mystic Flyer.

Will somebody please tell these irresponsble "ministers" et al to keep their uninformed thoughts to themselves.

I can only say that all of us involved in aviation here in Nigeria are saddened.

It is really sad that it has or should I say will take this accident to finally bring about the sanity needed in the industry.

Asking myself some questions this black weekend as well as going through this thread, i could only come to a sad realisation. We were/are all guilty. We allowed mediocrity to take over. We allowed our proffesionalism to be undermined. We compromised....small by small..Here we are... Sad but true

[femialpha]

My condolence to all those who lost their lives. Too many lives of innocent people have been wasted due to the gross incompetence of our people.

In a normal society these recent mishaps would change things for the better but Nigeria defies all conventional wisdom. May be if the oil companies shut their wells in protest, then Aso Rock will wake up!

I often wonder if those officials listen to themselves when they speak. They are an embarassment to us all.

[Gunship]

:sad: Sincere condolences ZAZOO.

I got a very big lump in the throat that I can not get rid of.

Get together guys and form a barrier for these corrupt guys !

God Bless

Gunss :sad:

[ChiefT]

The passenger list, posted on "airliners":

S/N NAMES TITLE SEX

1 ABBA K. MASTER MALE
2 ADAKA K. MASTER CHILD
3 ADEBOLU O. MASTER MALE
4 ADEWOGA V. MISS FEMALE
5 ADEYEMI B. MASTER MALE
6 ADILORLY D. MASTER MALE
7 AIKONBARE O. MISS FEMALE
8 AKPAN O. MRS. FEMALE
9 AKWIWU A. MR MALE
10 ALIGBA P. MRS FEMALE
11 AMACHREE O. MASTER MALE
12 AMANZE E. MISS FEMALE
13 ASARA A.P. MR MALE
14 AWAYI C. MASTER MALE
15 AWAYI U. MASTER MALE
16 BAA V. MASTER MALE
17 BABA R.Z. MISS FEMALE
18 BADEU I. MASTER MALE
19 BANIGO E.S. MR MALE
20 BUNMI AMUSAN MRS. FEMALE
21 CHIGBO C. MASTER MALE
22 CHUKWUNENYE MR MALE
23 COOKEYGAM K. MR MALE
24 DANIEL KALU MASTER MALE
25 EDETH S. MRS. FEMALE
26 EGWEKE U. MASTER MALE
27 EHIMOHA J. MR MALE
28 EJIKEME O. MR. MALE
29 EKEFRE U.O. MR MALE
30 EKERE A.N. MR MALE
31 EKERUWA A. MASTER MALE
32 ELLAH I.A. MISS FEMALE
33 EMESIOBI C. MR MALE
34 ENTE C. MR MALE
35 EZE GODWIN MR. MALE
36 EZERIBE A. MR. MALE
37 GBEMUDU S. MISS FEMALE
38 IBEH I. MR MALE
39 IBIAM M. MASTER MALE
40 IDABOR A. MASTER MALE
41 ILABOR B. MISS FEMALE
42 ILABOR C. MISS FEMALE
43 ILABOR M. MASTER MALE
44 ILOBI I. MRS. FEMALE
45 ILOBI N. MRS. FEMALE
46 IROEHAMA S. MISS FEMALE
47 KAMANU C. MASTER MALE
48 KEMARA H. MRS. FEMALE
49 LAMY I. MR MALE
50 LOOLO I. MISS FEMALE
51 MANILLA A. MRS. FEMALE
52 MBA C. MR MALE
53 MBA I. MRS. FEMALE
54 MOGBA M. MR. MALE
55 MONAGO A. MASTER MALE
56 NJOKU L. MISS FEMALE
57 NKAGNIEME MISS FEMALE
58 NKAGNIEME U. MASTER MALE
59 NNEBEDUM C. MASTER MALE
60 NTEMUSE E.K. MISS FEMALE
61 NWADEI V. MISS FEMALE
62 NWAFOR O. MR MALE
63 NWEZE C. MISS FEMALE
64 NWIGWE C. MASTER MALE
65 NWOKO S. MISS FEMALE
66 NZELU C. MASTER MALE
67 NZENWA A. MRS. FEMALE
68 OBI A.N. MR MALE
69 OCHULO M. MRS. FEMALE
70 ODUKOYA B. MRS FEMALE
71 OFOEGBU B. MRS. FEMALE
72 OFOR M. MR MALE
73 OGUNDIPE O. MR MALE
74 OJEBODE S. MR MALE
75 OKAFOR C.O. MASTER MALE
76 OKEMINI I. MISS FEMALE
77 OKEREKE O. MISS FEMALE
78 OKOLIE C. MR MALE
79 OKORO U.M. MR MALE
80 OKPE D. MASTER CHILD
81 OKUEGBU I. MR. MALE
82 OKWUCHI K. MISS FEMALE
83 OLA E. MR MALE
84 OLAKPE C. MR MALE
85 ONWUKA U. MR MALE
86 ORBIT W. MASTER MALE
87 OYEBODE M.S. MISS FEMALE
88 OZIGBO C.C. MR. MALE
89 OZUEH P.C. MR MALE
90 RIESSA J. MR MALE
91 TOJU O. MRS. FEMALE
92 TONY-OKEKE I. MISS FEMALE
93 UBAH I. MASTER MALE
94 UDEOZOR R. MASTER MALE
95 UKAIRO C. MASTER MALE
96 UTUK P.I. MR MALE
97 UZO U. MASTER MALE
98 UZODI B.C. MRS. FEMALE
99 WHYTE V.I. MR. MALE
100 WHYTE V.I. MRS. FEMALE
101 WILLS W. MASTER MALE
102 ZIKOKA U.O. MASTER MALE

CREW
1 CAPTAIN B. ADEBAYO PILOT MALE
2 F/O GERALD ANDAN FIRST OFFICER MALE
3 JOYCE EGBEKOBAR PURSER FEMALE
4 SOPHIA IROEGBU CABIN CREW FEMALE
5 AMAIKWU EMEKA CABIN CREW MALE
6 THERESA DIKE CABIN CREW FEMALE
7 AKEEM ODEBUNMI ENGINEER MALE
--------------------------------------

My thoughts are with the relatives!

[Gunship]

So sad to see the family names ... :sad:

An American and a Frenchman working for the medical aid agency Doctors Without Borders (MSF) were among the 103 people killed when a Nigerian airliner crashed in the southern city of Port Harcourt, one of their colleagues said on Sunday.

An official working with MSF France in Abuja, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the two doctors were on board Saturday's ill-fated Sosoliso Airlines domestic flight from the capital to the southern oil city which burst into flames and ploughed into the runway.

LINK (http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1849035,00.html)

[SASless]

ZAZOO,

Aviation in Nigeria is a really small community as we well know, and when these tragic events occur they affect a great many people we know personally.

Condolences to the families and friends especially to those who lost their children. There is not a greater loss to a Mother or Father than to experience such a thing in life, no matter the cause of the loss.

Prayers for all those who are grieiving now......

[jirginsama]

President Obasanjo has grounded sosoliso and chanchangi based on a letter he received.Do not have details of the letter till tomorrow.

At the forum today, it was shocking and nauseating that some operators like albarka chairman admitting cutting corners in their operations.

The president chief of staff narrated how NCAA collected money to certify the presidential fleet ok!!

[LongJohnThomas]

Regretably,
Things only start to sort themselves out when people die!
Our people in nigeria especially in the aviation authorities, are a shame!
To say the least? I agree with Uncle Sege that the whole of the Civil aviation sector should be revamped!
I think from the Ugo.........'s to all the rest, should be thrown out and replaced with younger and more dynamic souls with a sense of duty.
My sincere sympathy goes out to those who have lost friends or family on the airplane.
I personally lost two friends on that airplane.
Should be in lagos to pay my last respects.
May the lord watch over us all.:ok:

[GlobalFlyer]

>At the forum today, it was shocking and nauseating that some operators like albarka chairman admitting cutting corners in their operations.<

I couldn't agree more... you would wonder whether this 'chairman' of the now grounded Albarka (The Chicken Thief Airline according to an anti-Albarka website online) has any organic matter inside his skull :mad:

Too many Albarka chairmans out there tarnishing the aviation sector's image, again, and again, and yet again.

It surprises me that the media isn't critical of Obasanjo himself, who hired a clown like Borishade, or the countless clowns before him. Obasanjo is the one who should now be accountable, and he should stop blaming past administrations.

Let the new and reliable carriers replace the tokunbo airline murderers.

[jirginsama]

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=35657

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=35653

[Rani]

Remember events following the Bellview crash?

"FG GETS TOUGH IN AVIATION"

"FG TO REFORM AVIATION INDUSTRY"

Even reliable news sources such as BBC managed to buy the FG propaganda and publish these deceiving headlines.

Truth of the matter is, the wrong people are still in charge. As simple as that. Borishade must resign and be replaced by a competent aviator.
:{ :ugh:

[jirginsama]

i agree with you rani.

[chuks]

Perhaps I should have been saving the newspaper clippings over the years, but I think I have seen this sort of stuff many times before, ever since late 1981.

I might be back, when I would expect not much to have changed, essentially. Perhaps I am being unfair but it's just that it has gone on this way right out in the open since more than 24 years to my direct knowledge. In that time I have lost numerous former colleagues in crashes. All tragedies, of course, with much big-big grammar from those in charge, but very little effective action.

One thing pretty much sums it up for me: The only Lagos-based airplane operators with their own hangar facilities are Aero, Bristow and Pan African. Just where do these other 'airlines' have their aircraft serviced, anyway? I used to see guys out there in the Ikeja rain swapping tires and stuff, doing engine changes right there on the ramp on a 737. This is 'airline-quality' maintenance?

One very basic thing you need in the USA to get an AOC is an approved maintenance program, including suitable premises. I must be missing something, obviously, but what constitutes 'premises' in the case of Nigeria, a space out on the Domestic Ramp big enough to drop a JT-8 onto a couple of bald tires? And if something very visible such as that goes on, what about the behind-the-scenes stuff such as keeping up with scheduled maintenance and recurrent crew training?

When you have operators charging unrealistic prices, unsustainable in the face of well-known fixed hourly costs for the aircraft and its crewing, who is kidding whom?

The costs are very clear when it comes to operating specific aircraft; if someone is able to undercut them then either he is cutting corners or else he is a magician. The regulators are too dull to add up two and two and get an answer of four?

Another interesting thing is that 'national pride' always seems to come into it to cover up malfeasance, misfeasance... whatever, just call it 'mischief' and let it go at that. No one in charge ever seems to be able to dig deep enough to uproot the underlying problems. In a few weeks or months the dead shall be forgotten by all but the bereaved families and business shall go on as usual. A report shall be made, filed and forgotten; that is all. No more Jerry to keep stirring the pot.

[4HolerPoler]

The NTSB report is out today:

Here's some of the pertinent points:


3.2 Probable cause

3.2.1 The probable cause of the accident was the crew's decision to continue the approach beyond the Decision Altitude without having the runway and/or airport in sight.

3.2.2 The contributory factors were:

3.2.2.1 The crew's delayed decision to carry out a missed approach and the application of improper procedure while executing the go-around.

3.2.2.2 The aircraft encountered adverse weather conditions with the ingredients of wind shear activity on approach.

3.2.2.3 The reducing visibility in thunderstorm and rain as at the time the aircraft came in to land was also a contributory factor to the accident. And the fact the airfield lightings were not on may also have impaired the pilot from sighting the runway.

3.2.2.4 Another contributory factor was the fact that the aircraft had an impact with the exposed drainage concrete culvert which led to its disintegration and subsequent fire outbreak.

4.0 Recommendations

4.1 Where the training captains of Nigerian operators' conduct simulator training for their pilots at overseas institutions, the final check should be carried out and certified by instructors designated or appointed by the host country's Civil Aviation Authority for transparency.

4.2 Pilots flying into Port Harcourt and other coastal areas in the country should be mindful of weather hazards such as wind shear activity. Recognition and recovery from adverse weather/wind shear should be mandatory part of pilot's initial and recurrent simulator trainings.

4.3 NIMET should provide appropriate equipment to generate data on visibility and cloud conditions near the runway threshold and also ensure that adequately equipped briefing office is provided at the airport (and in all airports) for en route weather information among others.

4.4 There should be provisions of on board wind shear detection/monitoring equipment and also at the airfield. There is also the need to carry out further studies into wind shear phenomenon at the airports.

4.5 There is the need for the provision of Uninterrupted Power Supply UPS) to the airfield lightings to ensure that all critical aids are on throughout the operational period of the airport. If this can not be achieved, the operational hours should be reduced/modified.

4.6 The airfield lightings presently under FAAN Electrical Department should be transferred to NAMA so as to be regulated at the Control Tower in case of pilot's request for lighting intensity adjustment. Hence, the airfield lighting control at the tower should be reactivated. This is because the situation where controllers have to contact the FAAN Electrical Department to switch on or control the intensity of the airfield lightings is unacceptable and is not in consonance with the recommended practice.

4.7 The Airport Emergency Plan should be well structured and periodically tested with all the various agencies (FAAN, NAMA, City Hospitals, and Red Cross etc) participating. Adequate fire cover should be provided at the airport (Category 8) otherwise, it should be appropriately upgraded.

4.8 Airline operators should be required to equip their aircraft with DFDR that is capable of reading several parameters (minimum of 32), and solid state CVR for enhanced recording.

4.9 The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA should monitor and strictly enforce standards on airfield lightings, fire cover and aviation personnel training.

[madherb]

4.9 The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA should monitor and strictly enforce standards on airfield lightings, fire cover and aviation personnel training.This, perhaps more than anything, is the crux of the matter. Oversight of operators in Africa as a whole by the relevant Civil Aviation Authorities is not strong and vigorous. Lack of qualified personnel, resources and - dare one say it - INTEGRITY.

Until operators are exposed to scrutiny - and I mean scrutiny, not just an annual Operators Certificate and/or Maintenance Organisation renewal exercise by inadequately trained, poorly paid (hence bribable?) inspectors, NOTHING will change.

:ugh::ugh::ugh:

[madherb]

Solution ... FAAN needs external non nigerian quality auditors checking on every airlines and pilots abilities to conduct a safe operation on todays standards.Exactly. But who will force this to happen? As long as passengers (and crews ?) keep flying on these suspect airlines, NOTHING WILL HAPPEN. Bribes will change hands, paperwork will be issued, ops normal.

However, having said this, IATA is requiring that ALL airlines which wish to remain IATA members undergo the IOSA audit. AH! Perhaps that will sort out the professionals from the greed merchants.............

Time will tell. Till then, be careful out there.

[Rani]

Aero's operations will be subjected to IOSA inspections very soon.

I believe VK has done the same?

Like you said, it's a question of time before every passenger will be given the opportunity to fly an IATA-approved airline on local routes.

[bcpilot_00]

Watch out for another scam out of Nigeria. fake company called AVIATION SERVICES LIMITED, Caleb Bright. Offering a huge paying contract for SOSOLISO Airlines.
Don't know how people can sleep with themselves scamming people!!! :mad:

What comes around goes around....it will catch up to you one day....Mr. so call CALEB BRIGHT!

[Balmy]

Naaah.....you guys got it all wrong.........It kreshed bicawse it heet the deetch.......I knouw thees thing becawse I saw all the bowdies lying around.

The damn fool should go back to climbing trees and scratching his armpits while looking for fleas to eat. he has nop business having anything to do with aviation!!!! :*