How Suntai illegally operated doomed flight-Report
- AIB releases six reports
- Agency releases 46 final reports, 178 recommendations
The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB] likened the crash seven years ago of former Governor of Taraba State, Danbaba Suntai as suicide mission as the late governor who flew the Cessna 208BCaravan aircraft was ‘not certified, qualified and not competent to fly the ill-fated airplane’.
The aircraft had no record of registration with the NCAA and had no record with any aircraft maintenance organisations; an indication that the airplane could have been ‘smuggled’ into the country without certification by the aviation regulatory body.
The late governor is licensed as Private Pilot License (PPL] but was not type-rated on the equipment he was flying.
Suntai’s decision to operate a Visual Flight Rule (VFR] after sunset coupled with inadequate oversight by the aviation regulatory body authority, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA] conspired to cause the accident.
He suffered brain injury after the crash and went through rehabilitation at home after a long medical stay abroad before he died in June 2017.
These were contained in the six accident/incident reports released by Commissioner, AIB, Akin Olateru, an aircraft engineer at the agency’s head office in Lagos.
Olateru stated that the AIB was notified of the accident by the NCAA on October 25th, 2012.
Olateru further stated that safety is of great importance to AIB, adding that its investigations are geared towards having a safe airspace for all travellers globally.
He reiterated that the six final reports accident and serious incident reports is in line with its promise at the inception of the administration in AIB, outstanding occurrence reports would be cleared swiftly.
He disclosed that the agency had generated a total of 24 safety recommendations which are addressed to the regulatory body, affected airlines and airport operators and foreign agencies.
In total, the agency now have a total of 46 final reports and 178 safety recommendations since the inception of AIB.The Cessna aircraft with registration 5N-BMJ which belonged to Taraba State Government crashed in Kwanan-Waya village, Yola South Local Government Area, Adamawa State departed Jalingo for Yola on a VFR flight plan with four persons-On-Board(one crew and three passengers).
The damning report further stated that the pilot was not qualified to fly Cessna 172 and had total logged flying hours of 58 hours and 40 minutes, just as the pilot had no relevant endorsement to fly the aircraft type.
He was said to have reported an incorrect estimated time of arrival (ETA at Yola as 10; 01 UTC as against the time 17: 19 UTC]. The report equally reported the number of persons on board as six to the control tower as against four actual persons found after the accident.
According to the report, “The control tower was notified about the flight departure by phone call from Jalingo after the aircraft was airborne. The AIB was unable to interview the pilot as he was flown out of the country for further medical treatment”.
“The aircraft engine had an occurrence of engine overheat/over temperature in December 2011. It was removed and sent to an approved engine workshop in South Africa for complete repair and overhaul. The engine did not display any indications of any pre-impact anomalies or distress that would have precluded normal engine operation.”
Other reports are those involving Dana Air’s MD-83 aircraft, with registration 5N-SRI which occurred at Port-Harcourt International Airport on February 20, 2018, Bristow Helicopter’s Sikorsky S76C with registration marks 5N-BQJ which occurred at 77NM offshore from Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja on Radial 139 degrees on February 3, 2016, report on accident involving a Diamond 40D aircraft operated by International Aviation College, Ilorin, Kwara State which occurred on November 25th, 2013 and a Gulfstream incident operated by Nestoil Plc that occurred in Abuja on January 25th, 2018.
The final report was on incident involving Delta Air’s A330-223 aircraft with registration N858NW which occurred after take-off from Runway 18R, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on February 2018.
According to the report involving Dana Air, the aircraft descended through approach minimums 460 feet AGL on a localiser only approach runway 21, crossed the threshold and did a smooth touchdown on the runway at 7,972 feet from threshold. The reported wind was 360o at 22 kt. The aircraft landed without obtaining landing clearance from the ATC.
The accident was caused by an underestimation of the degradation of weather conditions (heavy rain, visibility and strong wind on short final and landing) and the failure by the crew to initiate a missed approach which was not consistent with the company’s SOP.
Other contributing factors to this accident were non-compliance to company’s SOP in meeting crew competency and complement requirements, ineffective two-way communication between the ATC and DAN0363 during final approach prevented the flow of technical information on runway surface condition and other relevant meteorological information essential to safety.
Others were failure of the crew to crosscheck the prevailing wind and also to obtain landing clearance from the ATC during final approach after contact with ATC was restored.
The report recommended that Dana Airlines should review the guidelines for developing, implementing, reinforcing, and assessing CRM training programs for flight and cabin crewmembers, as contained in DANA Airline’s Operations Manual Part D “Training” section. 2.9.5 – 2.9.5.5 and ensure that the CRM program conforms to the provisions contained in Nig.CARs 8.10.1.12.
It asked Dana to amend its Operations Manual Part D section 2 “Flight Crew Training and Checking Programme”, subparagraph 2.5.2.4 Line Training under Supervision, to state that:
All flight crew members will operate a minimum number of sectors and/or flying hours whichever comes later under the supervision of a nominated check pilot who is also serving as the PIC shall occupy a pilot station.
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