The Accident Investigation Bureau-Nigeria (AIBN) and the Nigerian Air Force have spoken about the importance of the collaboration between the two in air accident investigation saying such partnership would give weight to the investigation report.
The commissioner for AIB-N, Mr. Akin Olateru and the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao stated this in a joint press release issued on the interim report on accident involving NAF King Air-350 aircraft which occurred in the vicinity of Kaduna International Airport on May 21, 2021.
The statement signed by the spokesman for AIB-N, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi and his NAF counterpart, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet quoted Olateru as saying when he presented the interim report to Amao that although the accident involved a military aircraft and crew, it happened at a civil airport.
He added that NAF’s involvement of AIB-N in the investigation would help in closing the gaps on the civil aviation side.
He also stated that the joint investigation with the NAF was its first direct involvement in military air crash investigation in Nigeria and second investigation outside its mandate having also assisted Sao Tome and Principe in the past.
Olateru added that the report, with the endorsement of the CAS, will be submitted to the minister of aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure that the recommendations addressed to aviation agencies are implemented.
For his part, Amao reiterated the main essence of activating the ‘joint investigative’ clause contained in the memorandum of understanding signed between the NAF and the AIB-N on 1 July, 2020.
He said the successful collaboration “is a clear indication of the potency of collaboration in aircraft accident investigation.”
Amao said such partnership should be encouraged noting that “such collaborative efforts make accident investigations more transparent and open.”
He also stated that the outcome of the investigation “is not necessarily aimed at punitive measures but essentially at generally improving safety in the aviation industry.”
The submitted report has three sections namely the information obtained in the course of the investigation; analysis of data collected in view of the terms of reference and the conclusion, which covers the initial findings and immediate recommendations.
In the interim report, a total of 27 initial findings and eight immediate safety recommendations were made for the convening authority as well as other aviation related agencies for immediate implementation.
“It is expected that the final report will contain the flight data recorder readout, the reviewed operator’s and service provider’s standard operating procedures as well as other detailed analysis,” said AIB-N and NAF.
Recall that following the unfortunate incident involving the King Air-350 aircraft in Kaduna, Amao directed that a joint investigative body consisting of experienced NAF safety officers and the AIB-N be constituted to investigate the circumstances surrounding the air crash.
After about three months of painstaking joint investigation, Olateru, on Wednesday, September 15 submitted an interim report on the incident to the CAS in Abuja.
