We followed established aircraft procedure as precautionary measure- Bristow

Following report by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) that a helicopter belonging to Bristow developed engine failure before it landed at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Friday, the helicopter service provider said its crew followed established aircraft procedure as a precautionary measure following a warning in the cockpit.

In a statement by Bristow, it stated “On October 25, 2019, a Bristow crew followed established aircraft procedure (in line with Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority-approved Operations Manual Part B Checklist) to reduce an engine to idle power on an S-92 during flight as a precautionary measure following a warning in the cockpit.

“The aircraft was inbound to land at the Port Harcourt Nigerian Air Force Base from an offshore location with 11 passengers on board. The incident occurred in the Port Harcourt Control Zone with approximately 4 nautical miles (nm) to land. The aircraft landed safely and taxied to the hangar without incident.”

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Bristow also stated that it is working with the respective authorities leading the investigation into the incident.

Tunji Oketunbi, general manager, Public Affairs, AIB, said in a statement issued to BusinessDay that there was a serious incident involving a Bristow helicopter in Port Harcourt on the 25th October, 2019.

“We dispatched our investigators to site immediately. The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) have been retrieved. It is a serious Incident since they declared emergency. We have commenced Investigation,” Oketunbi added.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.