Four accident reports released by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) have indicted the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) over inadequate surveillance functions.
The report released includes Aero Contractors in 2015, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) TMB 850, a Bell 407 belonging to one GittoConstruczioni Generali Nigeria Limited and a Diamond 42 belonging to the International Aviation College (IAC) Ilorin.
Speaking during the release of the reports in Lagos Wednesday, Akin Olateru, the commissioner of AIB, said the NCAA need to improve its surveillance functions on airlines, pilots and air operations to avoid occurrence of accidents that could be avoided.
On the first report released involving a Boeing 737-500 with registration 5N-BLE belonging to Aero Contractors Company of Nigeria, which occurred at FL330 en route Kaduna Airport on June 5, 2015, the agency advised that NCAA should ensure that the activities of flight operations and maintenance departments of Aero Contractors Company of Nigeria were carried out in compliance with the Nig.CARs.
Olatero also identified causal factor to be the inadvertent failure to discover that the PRSOV was in the Locked Closed position after the engine change and failure to recognise that the number 2 bleed pressure was zero after engine start and subsequent failure to monitor the pressurisation system during climb.
On the report on the Serious Incident to Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Socata TBM 850 aircraft with registration 5N-BZA, which occurred near Kaduna Airport May 21, 2013, the commissioner also noted that NCAA need to enhance its oversight on all operators of special and private category aircraft to ensure strict compliance with all provisions of Nig.CARs as related to personnel licensing and other operational activities.
In addition to these, he said NCAT should classify all kind of storms as hazardous, considering the types of airplanes it operated (light weight) and the nature of operations it conducted (training), thereby delaying or cancelling any intended flight with warning for storm or any adverse weather phenomena.
On the accident involving Gitto Construczioni Generali, Nigeria Limited Bell 407 helicopter, the agency advised that NCAA should intensify its surveillance and monitoring on all privately-owned aircraft to ensure that operational and maintenance procedures were strictly adhered to in accordance with the relevant sections of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs).
The AIB commissioner stated that in the last one year, the bureau had published 10 final reports, one Safety Bulletin and had made 35 safety recommendations of which the industry particularly would gain from.
