The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has released final reports of investigation into four accidents and two serious incidents with no fewer than 24 safety recommendations released.
Among the report was the accident involving Cessna 208B Caravan aircraft piloted by the late Governor of Taraba State, Danbaba Suntai which went down on October 25, 2012 near Yola Airport.
Commissioner of AIB, Engr. Akin Olateru at a briefing on the final reports said investigation into the accident involving Suntai showed that the late Governor was not certified, qualified and competent to fly the aircraft.
It would be recalled that late Suntai survived the crash but he was left bedridden shuttling between one hospital to the other before he died in 2017 at a United State Rehabilitation Center.
Though AIB, charged with the responsibility of investigating accidents and incidents in the aviation industry, had released preliminary report on the accident, the final report released today put the cause of the incident in proper perspective.
According to the AIB CEO, though the late Governor had a Private Pilot Licence (PPL), it goes beyond that as he was not certified by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to fly.
Besides, it was also discovered that he didn’t obtain the Instrument Flight Rating which would have qualified him to fly at night.
The Commissioner also said the aircraft in question was not registered either with any Airline company or Aircraft Maintenance Organisation (AMO).
He charged the NCAA to be more alive with their oversight responsibility.
Other reports released are Report on the Accident involving a Bristow Helicopters (Nigeria) Limited Sikorsky S76C++ Helicopter which occurred on 3rd February 2016; Accident involving a Boeing MD-83 aircraft operated by Dana Airlines Ltd which occurred at Port Harcourt International Airport on 20th February, 2018; Report on the Serious Incident involving an Airbus A330-223 aircraft operated by Delta Air Lines Inc. where one of its engines caught fire after take-off from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on 13th February 2018
