The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has announced the recovery of the black box from the crashed helicopter in Rivers state.
The incident which occured on October 24, involved a Sikorsky SK76c helicopter operated by East Wind Aviation and engaged by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). Out of the Seven persons aboard, only three bodies were recovered.
While reports had arisen that the helicopter was scrapped in 2018, NNPCL and the NSIB had disregarded the news while promising to conduct an investigation on the reason for the crash.
Two weeks following the tragic event, NSIB’s Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Bimbo Oladeji, confirmed that the black box was retrieved early on Friday.
Oladeji noted that the successful recovery was made possible through the joint efforts of the NSIB and their Search and Recovery partners, which included NNPC, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Nigerian Navy, and HydroDive.
The black box, also known as a flight recorder or Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR), records data about a helicopter’s flight and operation to help investigators determine the cause of an accident. It includes information like speed, altitude, vibration, sounds, radio communication, and ambient noise. It is designed to withstand extreme heat, impact, water immersion and explosion.
