Port Harcourt helicopter crash: 16 days after, NSIB recovers Black Box

Sixteen days after the Port Harcourt chopper crash, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), in collaboration with other Search and Recovery partners, has recovered the Flight Data Recorder, FDR, and Cockpit Voice Recorder, CVR, from the ditched Sikorsky SK76 helicopter.

Persecondnews recalls that the ditched Sikorsky SK76 with registration 5N BQG crashed off the coast of Bonny Finima, Atlantic Ocean, Port Harcourt, River on October 24.

At the time of the accident, Eastwind Aviation was transporting eight passengers in the helicopter, including some of NNPC Ltd.’s staff.

Mrs. Bimbo Oladeji, the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance at the NSIB, revealed this information to newsmen on Friday in Lagos.

Oladeji said that the search and recovery partners in the investigation were the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, the Nigerian Navy, and HydroDive.

Oladeji said that since the accident, NSIB and its Search and Recovery partners had coordinated a search and recovery effort.

She added that the search had been in collaboration with local and international partners to locate and retrieve the bodies of the deceased and the critical components necessary for a comprehensive investigation.

The spokesperson said that the FDR and CVR, commonly referred to as the aircraft’s “black box,” were retrieved Friday morning.

According to her, the device is crucial for helping investigators analyze flight performance and cockpit communications to determine the sequence of events leading up to the accident.

She stated that NSIB’s specialists had secured the recovered recorder for transport to their data analysis lab for data extraction and analysis.

Oladeji added that the analysis would help the bureau gain insights into the operational and technical conditions preceding the accident and to help determine the cause of the accident.

She said that as of Friday, three individuals remained unaccounted for, and long-term search efforts continued in coordination with local and international partners.

She added that further updates would be provided as the investigation progressed and significant developments emerged.

The NSIB Director General, Capt. Alex Badeh, commended the recovery teams and stressed the importance of the investigation.

“The recovery of the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder marks a monumental step in understanding what led to this tragic accident.

“The black box holds vital information that will provide invaluable insight into the sequence of events leading up to the accident, which will help us to determine the cause and inform any necessary safety recommendations.

“While our thoughts are with the families of those still unaccounted for, concerted efforts are being made to find the missing individuals and provide answers to the families affected by this accident,” he said.

The NSIB has recovered the bodies of five of the eight individuals said to be aboard the ill-fated helicopter.

On October 31, the bureau announced the recovery of the wreckage of the ditched chopper.