The Accident Investigation Bureau has released a preliminary report on a helicopter crash that occurred at the Opebi area of Lagos State on August 28, 2020.
Thelagostimes recalls that the accident involved a Bell 206B III helicopter with nationality and registration marks 5N-BQW operated by Quorum Aviation Limited.
According to the report, the helicopter had a valid Certificate of Airworthiness as the pilot’s last medical examination was valid till the 6th of August 2020.
The AIB said it did not find evidence that an application for the exemption provided by the All Operators’ Letter (AOL) DG02020 had been submitted to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The pilot’s last proficiency check was also reported to have been valid till August 24, 2020, and there was no evidence to show that an application for the exemption provided by the AIL DG018/ 20 had been submitted to the NCAA.
“The helicopter was not equipped with a flight data recorder or a cockpit voice recorder. Neither was required by the relevant aviation regulations but equipped with a Garmic GNC Global Positioning System,” the report read.
According to the AIB, the helicopter took off from Port Harcourt at 9.20am and was estimated to land in Lagos after two hours forty minutes.
It crashed into a residential building in Ikeja at 12:14pm.
The three persons aboard the helicopter died.