RIVERS: Black box of crashed helicopter recovered, search for three missing persons continues

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) announced this today through a statement from Bimbo Oladeji, the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance.

On October 24, the aircraft, operated by East Wind Aviation and contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, nosedived in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

NSIB’s spokesperson indicated that the black box was recovered early today, two weeks after the tragic event.

The recovery was a collaborative effort involving NNPC, NIMASA, the Nigerian Navy, and HydroDive.

“The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), alongside its Search and Recovery partners NNPC, NIMASA, the Nigerian Navy, and HydroDive, has retrieved the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) from the Sikorsky SK76 helicopter, registration 5N BQG, which submerged in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Bonny Finima on October 24, 2024.

“Since the incident, NSIB and its recovery partners have coordinated search efforts with local and international entities to locate and recover the remains of the victims as well as critical components needed for an in-depth investigation.

“The FDR and CVR, commonly called the aircraft’s ‘black box,’ were successfully retrieved early this morning,” the statement noted.

Analyzing the data from these devices will enable investigators to reconstruct the events leading to the crash and pinpoint its cause.

The NSIB spokesperson mentioned that the recovered recorders have been secured for transportation to the bureau’s data analysis laboratory.

“They will undergo data extraction and analysis by NSIB specialists to shed light on the operational and technical conditions leading up to the accident and assist in determining its cause,” she stated.

Captain Alex Badeh Jr., the Director General of NSIB, commended the recovery teams and emphasized the significance of the investigation.

“The recovery of the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder represents a crucial advancement in understanding the factors that contributed to this tragic accident. The black box contains essential information that will offer critical insights into the sequence of events leading up to the crash, aiding our efforts to determine its cause and formulate any necessary safety recommendations.

“While we keep the families of those who are still missing in our thoughts, we are making dedicated efforts to locate the missing individuals and provide answers to the families affected by this tragedy.”

The aircraft was carrying six passengers and two crew members when it descended into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, close to Calabar. So far, three bodies have been recovered from the crash site.