Helicopter crash constitutes 30% of air accidents in Nigeria- AIB-N

• calls for better search and rescue system

The Accident Investigation Bureau Nigeria (AIB-N) has said that helicopter accidents constitute 30 per cent of total air crashes in Nigeria.

According to Chief Executive Officer, of the agency,Mr. Akin Olateru, Nigeria is a signatory to bilateral Civil Aviation Search and Rescue, but not much has been achieved in advancing the needed facilities and infrastructure to support such critical aviation responsibility.

Olateru who spoke at the formal flag off of Search, Rescue and Surveillance programmed of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, in Lagos on Monday expressed firm belief that the move would help in carrying out that responsibility.

He said it has been part of roadmap of the Ministry of Aviation, and should be seen as multi sectoral project, just as he urged stakeholders in both Aviation and Oil industries to work in synergy to enable the project excel.

He said the programme will go a long way to reduce Helicopter accidents, build capacity in the industry and reduce costs associated with accidents and

It would be recalled that African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) under the aegis of the African Union Commission (AUC) and in cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 2017 in Lome, Togo organised a high-level conference on the Improvement of Search and Rescue (SAR) Services.

The main objective of the High-Level Conference on SAR was to sensitize decision makers in African States on the need among others to establish or maintain effective SAR services, provide an opportunity for the coordination of SAR Memorandum of Understand (MOU), Letters of Agreement (LoAs) between the States and encourage more Multilateral Agreements.

Bringing together the Decision Makers of SAR Services in the continent, the High Level SAR Conference helped to raise awareness at the highest level and to obtain the commitment of States to implement the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) of Annex 12 of the Chicago Convention.

Furthermore, the High-Level Conference supports the Search and Rescue (SAR) Organization project of the Comprehensive Regional Implementation Plan for Aviation Safety in Africa (AFI Plan).

The outcomes of the Conference  include inter alia:Adoption of a Declaration and Targets for the improvement of the provision of SAR Services in Africa; Adoption of a SAR Project to be managed by AFCAC aimed at assisting AFCAC member States to implement national SAR plan, legislation, regulations, manuals, etc.; Adoption of a fund raising mechanism with Partners willing to contribute to an effective implementation of a SAR Project aimed at enhancing SAR organizational structure in the AFCAC member States; and Endorsement of Models of SAR Regulatory Texts and SAR National and Regional Plans, national SAR Legislation.