Following the release of the final report of the Accident Investigation Bureau on the June 3, 2012 Dana Airline plane crash, the management of the airline has reassured air passengers of its total commitment to safety and comfort onboard.
Manager, Media/Communications of Dana Air, Mr. Kingsley Ezenwa, disclosed that the airline swung into action immediately the Interim Safety Recommendations were released in 2013, and as an airline strictly committed to the safety and comfort of its passengers, it implemented all the recommendations in the AIB’s ISR same year.
He added that the airline did stop at just implementing the recommendations, but also successfully passed an operational audit conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority’s Flight Safety Group and its foreign partners.
Ezenwa said, “In 2016, after another rigorous operational audit, Dana Air was admitted into the IOSA register to underscore its strict adherence to global management and safety standards and procedures required of global carriers.
It also went further to win two awards from two reputable organisations for the redefining role it played in the aviation industry same year.
“While we acknowledge the full report, and will continue to review it, we are glad that the report confirmed that the aircraft was airworthy at the time of departure, flight crew were certified and that we have cleared all defects during the last check.”
However, AIB has blamed the pilots of OAS Helicopter and Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime Safety and Security for air crashes witnessed in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Commissioner, AIB, Engr.
Akin Olateru, disclosed that the OAS’s Ecuruiel A 350 B2 chopper, with registration number 5NBKA, which crashed at Oke-Oba Hill, Ikonifin, Osun State on July 29, 2011, crashed due to the non-adherence of the pilot to visual flight rules of clear-of cloud and obstacles while maintaining ground at all times, which led to Controlled Flight into Terrain.
He added that the pilot was not instrument-rated and that he lacked route familiarisation. On the report on the serious incident involving PICOMSS with registration number 5N-BKS at Benin Airport, Edo State, on July 5, 2012, the AIB boss said the crash was the decision of the crew to continue the glide approach, despite repeated landing gear warnings with the power lever below 25 per cent, rather than initiating a go-around.
“Other factors include the failure of the crew to recognise the landing gear warnings, no standard operating procedure/training policy in place, the crew low hours and experience, coupled with the rostering of two pilots with same capacity on a training flight, as well as lack of crew resource management training,” he stated.
