By Chinelo Obogo
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) on Friday, released four incident and accident reports along with 20 safety recommendations.
Speaking at a virtual press conference, the Director General of the NSIB, Capt. Alex Badeh, said these reports stemmed from investigations into various incidents in the Nigerian transportation system, including a plane-truck ground collision, a mechanical issue with a Dana Air plane, and a deadly boat accident.
He said the bureau‘s team of experts worked hard to uncover the root causes of various incidents and accidents through meticulous analysis and that the publication of these reports serves as a testament to its commitment to safety and underscores our mission to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
He emphasised the commitment of the bureau to transparency and continuous improvement, saying that analysing these incidents and issuing recommendations will not only prevent similar accidents from happening again but will also foster collaboration and open communication within the transportation industry.
The specific recommendations included ensuring adherence to safety protocols by airlines and ground handling companies, as well as urging authorities to improve oversight and implement stricter regulations, such as mandatory registration for commercial boats.
He said: “We are proud to present to you two aviation incident final reports, one aviation incident preliminary report, and a marine accident preliminary report, along with safety recommendations.
“We hope these reports and recommendations will prevent future occurrences of similar accidents and incidents.”
The reports released include a final report on the serious incident involving an Embraer EMB-145LR registered 5N-BVD operated by Air Peace, which occurred at Kaduna airport, on January 14, 2021; final report on the incident involving a ground collision between a lavatory service truck with fleet number 9/5 operated by Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc (SAHCO) and a parked Boeing 737-300 aircraft registered 5N-DAB operated by Max Air, which occurred at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on November 21, 2021; preliminary report on the serious incident involving an MD-82 aircraft operated by Dana Air with registration number 5N-BKI, which occurred on Runway 18L Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on April 23, 2024 and preliminary report on a boat accident that occurred at one nautical mile from Onono Jetty in Anambra West LGA, Anambra State en route Asaba Jetty in Asaba, Delta State on 10, April 2024 at about 12:30.
Among other recommendations, the NSIB urged SAHCO to ensure adherence to its Standard Operating Procedures and provisions in its manuals including sections section 3.3.4 and 3.5.2 and section 7.1.3.5 and 7.1.3.6 of its Ground Operations Manual.
It asked Air Peace to ensure that its personnel adhere to the company’s approved instruction, guidelines and procedures, including the requirements of Operations Manual Part A Chapter 8.1.11.2.5 with regards to handling defects/damage to aircraft making appropriate entries of technical faults encountered in flights in the aircraft technical logbook and inspected by authorised personnel.
It also recommend to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority that it should enhance its oversight of Kaduna airport to ensure operations are conducted in compliance with the relevant provisions of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations, including compliance with Part 12.6.16.10 regarding regular testing of response time to evaluate effectiveness of the Fire-fighting service of the airport.
It also called on authorities to ensure that all boats involved in commercial activities (goods and passengers) within the national inland waterways are registered.