Crashed Bellview Boeing 737 had technical defects

The Accident Investigative Bureau (AIB) yesterday released reports of its investigations of eight air crashes in the country but said there is yet no conclusive report on the June 3, 2012 crash of the Dana Air accident.

It was, however, definite that it Dana crash was not caused by contaminated fuel, the bureau claimed.

It also said of the Dana Air crash: “the aircraft lost both engines within 25 seconds, as it had fuel endurance of three and half hours.”

The other reports covered mishaps involving Bellview, ADC, Sosoliso Airlines, DHL, Bristow Helicopters, Aero Contractors and two aircraft in the fleet of the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology in Zaria.

It attributed the crash of the Bellview Airlines’ Boeing 737 at Lisa Village in Ogun State in 2005 killing all 117 passengers on board to technical defects.

The AIB said it “could not identify the conclusive evidence to explain the cause of the accident, but considered several factors that could explain the accident. They include the pilot in command’s training before taking command of the Boeing 737, which was inadequate.

The bureau stated: “The cumulative flight hour of the pilot in the days before the accident, which was indicative of excessive work load led to fatigue.

“The airplane should not have been dispatched for either the accident flight or earlier flights. The absence of forensic evidence prevented the determination of the captain’s medical condition at the time of the accident. The missing flight recorders to reconstruct the flight also preclude the determinants of the performance during the flight.

“The operator could not maintain the continuing airworthiness of its aircraft in ensuring compliance of its flight maintenance personnel with the regulatory requirements.

“The civil aviation authority’s safety oversight of the operator’s procedure and operations was inadequate. In the course of investigations, it was discovered that at the time of the accident, the technical log book entries were improperly made; rectification actions were ignored, or improperly carried out or placed in hold items list as deferred defects without the authority of the minimum equipment list.

“It was also discovered that all navigational aids were serviceable at the time of the accident, except the radar that was switched off at weekends for routine maintenance.

“Physical examination of the airplane wreckage shows no evidence of high explosives. There was clear evidence of fire, but no conclusion could be reached as to whether the fire occurred prior to the crash or only as a result of the crash.

“There are noticeable human error factor in the accident. As revealed by the investigations, such as personnel training, maintenance culture, crew rest period, work load and fatigue”.

Meanwhile, Bellview Airlines, according to the AIB, expressed reservations over the cause of the crash. The airline said there is a probability of unlawful interference (explosive) which may have affected or be responsible for the accident.

The bureau said the report on the accidents, though not punitive, is expected to serve as a corrective implementation plan for the affected parties, which it listed to include the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the airlines and other aeronautical agencies.