NSIB retrieves black box of crashed helicopter in Rivers

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says the black box of the helicopter that crashed in Rivers state has been recovered.

On October 24, a helicopter operated by East Wind Aviation and hired by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited crashed while travelling from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) base in Port Harcourt.

The aircraft, carrying six passengers and two crew members, went down in the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar, around 11:22 a.m.

A week later, the NSIB reported that a fifth body was recovered from the site of the crash.

In a statement on Friday, Bimbo Oladeji, NSIB director, public affairs and consumer protection, confirmed that the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), commonly known as the black box, were retrieved from the site.

Oladeji said the bureau, in collaboration with Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and other search and recovery partners, coordinated efforts with both local and international teams to locate and retrieve the bodies of the deceased and essential components necessary for a full investigation.

“The FDR and CVR, commonly referred to as the aircraft’s ‘black box,’ was retrieved early this morning,” Oladeji said.

“This device is crucial in helping investigators analyse flight performance and cockpit communications to determine the sequence of events leading up to the accident.

“The recovered recorder has been secured for transport to NSIB’s data analysis lab.

“It will undergo data extraction and analysis by NSIB’s specialists to gain insights into the operational and technical conditions preceding the accident and to help determine the cause of the accident.”

On the three missing passengers, Alex Badeh, NSIB director-general, said long-term search efforts will continue in collaboration with partners to find the missing individuals and provide answers to the families affected by the accident.

Badeh commended the recovery teams and emphasised the importance of the investigation.

“The recovery of the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder marks a monumental step in understanding what led to this tragic accident,” he said.

Badeh said the black box contains crucial information that will offer invaluable insights into the sequence of events leading up to the accident, aiding the NSIB in determining the cause and informing any necessary safety recommendations.