By Chinelo Obogo
Accident Investigation Bureau, Nigeria (AIB-N) has released eight accidents and incident investigation reports on some airlines spanning a period of nine years.
The report by AIB-N Commissioner/CEO, Akin Olateru in Abuja, yesterday, the biggest haul since the establishment of the agency, covers between 2010 and 2019.
Airlines affected are Turkish, Arik Air, the defunct Chachangi Airline, Air Peace and an aircraft operated by SWAT Technology Limited.
Olateru said while one report is classified as accident, the remaining seven are serious incidents, but that it is important to note that investigation of aircraft accidents or incidents entail the same procedure and processes which are geared towards air safety.
The Bureau gave a total of nine safety recommendations, which are addressed to the regulatory body, affected airlines and Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) among others.
The investigation for Turkish airline, which had 295 persons on board including 11 crew members, revealed that the extra right aileron and rudder input by the Pilot Flying in the last 100 feet caused the aircraft to drift right of the runway centre line.
“The inappropriate rudder application by the flight crew in the last 45 feet did not prevent the right drift before touchdown but rather increased the drift at touchdown. Also, the non-adherence to the provisions of the Standard Operating Procedures as contained in the Turkish Airlines Flight Crew Techniques Manual.”
The report on the incident involving a Hawker Siddeley HS-125-800 XP aircraft owned and operated by SWAT Technology Limited attributed the cause to a black hole effect disorientation causing low-level manoeuvre into grass verge.
It said most of the Runway 21 right edge lights were unserviceable at landing time and inadequate crew resource management during approach.
The report on the serious incident involving a B737-200 aircraft operated by Chanchangi Airlines which occurred at Kaduna Airport, Runway 05, Kaduna State, Nigeria on August 20, 2010 was attributed to loss of speed, altitude and situational awareness due to poor instruments’ scanning on short finals Runway 05. Other contributory factors were that the airplane was flown at a high descent rate (825 fpm) when the aircraft was just 225feet above runway during approach.
There was possible increase in crew workload due to thunderstorm activities in the vicinity of the airport and no safety recommendations were made.