Commissioner and CEO Accident Investigation Bureau Nigeria (AIB-N-) Engineer Akin Olateru has urged Stakeholders in the Nigerian Aviation Industry on the importance of safety recommendations and final reports on accidents and serious incidences issued by the Bureau, emphasizing the need to ensure that they avail themselves of the AIB reports, draw useful lessons from them and as well implement the safety recommendations where applicable.
“Safety recommendations are critical to the Bureau’s basic role of accident prevention since it is the lever used to bring about safety changes to and improvements in the nations aviation system. It is therefore expected that the stakeholders would take the AIB safety recommendations very seriously and complement AIB’s efforts by implementing the recommendations, where applicable, to prevent future recurrence of similar events,” he said.
Engr. Olateru was addressing Newsmen in Abuja recently on the release of the three final accident and serious incident reports and two Safety Bulletins by the Bureau on occurrences that happened in the Nigerian airspace in recent times.
Sixteen Safety recommendations that can help in preventing similar accidents or serious incidents from reoccurring were also released along with the reports at the AIB headquarters in Abuja.
He explained that with the newly released reports the number of reports issued by the Bureau since inception totals 59 with 40 of them released under his administration, while the Safety Recommendation released since inception of the parasternal and under his administration totals 211 and 127 respectively.
Engineer Olateru also indicated that the two safety bulletins newly released makes a total of three Safety Bulletins released by AIB. He pointed out that the three Safety Bulletins were all released under his administration.
The reports released by the Bureau cover the serious incident involving a Gulfstream G-IV aircraft owned and operated by Skybird Air Ltd with nationality and registration marks 5N-BOD which occurred at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on 12thSeptember, 2018.
The two Safety Bulletins released by the Bureau were the report on the Incident involving a Tampico Club TB-9 aircraft owned and operated by Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) with nationality and registration marks 5N-CBG which occurred at Zaria Aerodrome, Kaduna State on 10th December, 2013 and the report on the incident involving a Tampico Club TB-9 aircraft also owned and operated by NCAT with nationality and registration marks 5N-CBB which occurred at Zaria Aerodrome, Kaduna State on 18th June, 2014.
The Bureau also released the report on another Serious incident involving a Boeing 747-200 aircraft owned and operated by Kabo Air Ltd with nationality and registration marks 5N-JRM which occurred at Sultan Abubakar Airport, Sokoto(DNSO), Sokoto State on 4th October, 2013.
Also released was the report on the Serious Incident involving a B737-500 aircraft owned and operated by Aero Contractors Company of Nigeria Ltd with nationality and registration marks 5N-BLG, which occurred on Runway 18R, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos on 9th April, 2016.
He added that full details of these reports and all other reports issued by the bureau in the past can be found on its official website www.aib.gov.ng and on the Mobile App, AIB Nigeria, which can be downloaded on Google Play Store and IOS.
The Commissioner who also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to timely release of occurrence reports, declared that his administration is doing its best to ensure that aircraft accident and serious incidents that fall under the purview of AIB are promptly, excellently and Professionally investigated by its well-seasoned aircraft accident investigators.
Engr. Akin Olateru flanked by Director of Engineering,
Engr. Hashimu Wali (R) and Director of Operations, Capt. Dayyabu Danraka
after the release of three Accident Reports and two Safety Bulletins in Abuja
He also appreciated the Ministry of Aviation and the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika for their relentless support for the activities of the Bureau.
Olateru, while appreciating his team of aircraft accident Investigators for their relentless effort in ensuring that aircraft occurrences are excellently investigated and final reports are promptly released, also called on agencies and organizations to recognize human training and capacity building as one of the most important means of boosting their staff performance thereby boosting their prestige and resources.
He also assured that AIB will not relent in seeking enhanced positive working relationship with other organizations and agencies in pursuit of its mandate and as well seek new innovative ways that would ensure the continuous Safety of the Nigerian airspace and Africa.
