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NCAA Sets the Record Straight on Helicopter Crash Airworthiness Claim

Published by Tope Fakinlede on October 31st, 2024.

NCAA Sets the Record Straight on Helicopter Crash Airworthiness Claims

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has dismissed allegations regarding the airworthiness of the helicopter that crashed in Port Harcourt last Friday.

According to the NCAA, an online report inaccurately stated that the helicopter, involved in the incident, had been scrapped.

Captain Chris Najomo, the Acting Director-General of the NCAA, addressed the issue in a statement, clarifying that the report from Sahara Reporters misrepresented the helicopter’s history.

The report claimed that the helicopter, registered as 5N-BQG, was originally listed as 5N-BGN in 2004 and later deregistered in Canada in 2009, asserting that it was presumed scrapped by September 2018. It questioned how the helicopter was re-registered in Nigeria before the crash.

To correct this misinformation, Najomo emphasized that helicopters can be tracked using both their registration marks and their Manufacturer Serial Number (MSN). The helicopter in question, 5N-BQG, has an MSN of 760486, while the earlier model, 5N-BGN, has an MSN of 760468.

He provided a detailed account of both helicopters. The S76C+ marked as 5N-BGN was registered with Aero Contractors in 2004, changed ownership in 2006, and was deregistered in 2009. In contrast, the helicopter registered as 5N-BQG was first registered in December 2012 to Nestoil Plc, underwent several ownership changes, and was ultimately registered to Eastwind Aviation Logistics Services Limited in 2024.

Najomo concluded that the confusion arose from Sahara Reporters’ failure to accurately distinguish between the records of the crashed helicopter and the deregistered model.