The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has set up specially constituted Safety Recommendations Committee to review its recommendations from inception totaling 120 and measure the level of their effectiveness.
Speaking at the inauguration of the committee in Lagos, the commissioner of AIB, Mr. Akin Olateru explained that the committee had become necessary in order to extend the frontiers of aviation safety, not only in Nigeria but globally.
He said members of the committee are drawn from AIB, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and the ministry of transportation
The commissioner said the responsibility for enforcing safety recommendations lies with NCAA stressing “this may explain why there are four nominees on this committee from the agency.”
“This exercise is therefore to complement their efforts and enhance the industry’s capacity to improve safety,” he added.
He also announced that the minister of state for aviation Senator Hadi Sirika had approved the appointment of Capt. Kiddie Dare and Mr. Gbolahan Abatan as consultants to the committee to ensure a balance and objectivity.
He said when he was appointed to head the agency he inherited 27 outstanding accident reports out of which 10 were published as at the end of 2017.
He said the reports generated 35 safety recommendations adding that six reports would released before the end of May, 2018.
“For accident investigation to be relevant and effective, it must be thorough, impartial and timely. Timeliness is of essence. You would recall that we recently released three preliminary reports of two serious incidents and an accident shortly after they occurred.
“Safety recommendations are as critical as the investigation itself as it is the lever used to effect safety changes and improvements in the aviation industry.
“The purpose of accident investigation, which is to improve aviation safety, cannot be achieved if our recommendations are not found to be effective by the stakeholders. The recommendations guide the regulators, operators, the ministry and other stakeholders in the industry,” said Olateru.
Olateru noted that the Bureau’s accident investigation and safety recommendations recorded positive impacts in the national and global aviation arena.
“Our investigations into the Bristow Helicopter crash, which occurred in Lagos on August 12, 2015 led to the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Sikorsky, the aircraft manufacturer taking global safety actions.
“Diamond Aircraft Manufacturer also took safety action following our investigations into the serious incident involving Diamond DA 42 with registration number 5N-BKS, which occurred in Benin in July 2012,” he said.
He pointed out that during investigations AIB identified a lot of hazards that sometimes may not be related to the particular occurrence under investigation but work with the operators to resolve them.
“While we appreciate that our safety recommendations have recorded positive impacts locally and globally, we found it imperative to holistically review the effectiveness of all the recommendations with a view to enhancing aviation safety to the benefits of all air travellers,” he added.
